Mr. Speaker, the employees of the Government of the Northwest Territories are dedicated to the work that they do and are committed to the success of their communities. Hundreds of employees spend countless hours giving back to their communities through volunteer work during their personal time.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to take this moment to recognize all of the employees who volunteer in their communities. How we take care of one another is what shapes the character of our communities and what makes the North unique and special.
In addition to their volunteer time, every year, employees have the option to have donations for United Way NWT automatically deducted from their paycheques. Last year, employees contributed $150,000 to the United Way NWT through this campaign, which I am honoured to co-chair with the Union of Northern Workers president, Mr. Todd Parsons.
Mr. Speaker, tomorrow marks the start of the 2018 United Way NWT Employee Giving Campaign. The United Way NWT is a not-for-profit organization committed to building strong and healthy northern communities. Its role is to match community resources through these payroll contributions and to help get those funds to our territory’s areas of greatest need.
In many ways, the Government of the Northwest Territories and the United Way NWT share the same goals: we want to improve the lives of our people, build stronger communities, and create positive social change for the residents of our territory. The United Way NWT ensures that employee contributions stay in the territory and contribute directly to our residents and communities.
Every day, employees work to build a better territory. They show this commitment in their work, but also in their generosity through our workplace campaign. Through the employee payroll plan, employees, including myself and many of the people in this room, are doing their part to create caring communities by contributing to the United Way NWT and to the organizations that they support.
Some of the organizations who have benefitted from contributions from employees include the Inuvik Youth Centre, Dene Nahjo, the Hay River Soup Kitchen, the Rainbow Coalition, NWT Breast Health, Children’s First Society, and the list goes on.
Mr. Speaker, to put the power of this collective effort into context, one employee’s payroll contributions of 50 cents per workday was able to feed over 50 people at the Hay River Soup Kitchen in one month. A $2 per workday contribution of another employee allowed Yellowknife Cares to create weekend meal kits for 30 children in need.
Investing in the health and well-being of our people and communities and building prosperity in the Northwest Territories are priorities of the United Way NWT and the mandate of this government. These goals are shared by many non-governmental organizations in our territory and by our employees. United Way NWT is working to achieve these goals through investment in three areas of focus, which are:
From poverty to possibility;
Healthy people, strong communities; and
All that kids can be.
Next year, the United Way NWT is investing $170,000 to support non-profits in our territory to improve lives and build community in these three areas.
Mr. Speaker, I comment the efforts of United Way NWT and their board and volunteers for all their hard work as they continue to make a positive impact on the lives of many of our residents in need. Furthermore, I would like to thank the Government of the Northwest Territories employees for their continued generosity which is making it possible for the United Way NWT and our communities to achieve great success. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Masi. Ministers' statements. Minister of Health and Social Services.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the Government of the Northwest Territories made a commitment in its mandate to ensure the effective supports and programs were available for persons with disabilities. Our government believes that every person living with a disability has the full right to citizenship and opportunity which is why we have been working with our partners and stakeholders to advance plans that will effectively guide our efforts to support this goal.
In March 2016, our government initiated the Disability Program Review and Renewal Project to look at the status of current services and identify gaps and opportunities for improvements through the development of a new strategic framework, programs, and services inventory and action plan.
Mr. Speaker, in February 2018, we released the Equity, Accessibility and Inclusion, and Participation: NWT Disability Strategic Framework: 2017 to 2027, Disability Matters: A Companion to the NWT Disability Strategic Framework, and the GNWT Programs and Services for Persons with Disabilities Inventory.
Our action plan, which will be tabled later today, builds on the priorities established within the NWT Disability Strategic Framework to ensure our work supports outcomes that are person and family centred; supports inclusion and accessibility; promotes and supports awareness, education and training; and ensures timely coordination, evaluation and reporting.
The action plan represents a shared vision and partnership between the Departments of Health and Social Services; Education, Culture and Employment; Justice; Finance; Municipal and Community Affairs; Infrastructure; and the NWT Housing Corporation.
Mr. Speaker, this work was guided by the results of extensive engagement with our non-government organization partners in the disability sector. Our partners provided valuable input as to what is needed to support persons with disabilities and their families. We will continue to engage with them to ensure that our actions are meeting their intended outcomes for persons with disabilities.
We know that there is a growing demand on disability services, driven by an increased incidence of physical and cognitive disabilities, a growing seniors' population, increased rates of disability associated with aging, and the need for caregiver supports.
We want to improve the lives of NWT residents with disabilities by focusing on five objectives: increasing income security and reducing poverty, building awareness and knowledge through education and training, improving transition planning and options, encouraging universal design and living options, and improving access and quality of caregiver supports.
The action plan will help our government pursue new avenues and resources available to promote more equity, accessibility, and inclusion and help us support the participation in all aspects of economic and social life of persons with disabilities in the NWT.
We will be accountable to persons with disabilities and all residents on the progress on this action plan. Each department will report on the status of their action items, and the Department of Health and Social Services will coordinate and monitor the reporting of the individual actions within it.
I want to thank all of my colleagues and their department staff for supporting our government-wide approach to improving services and programs for persons with disabilities. I also want to thank our disability NGO partners, including the NWT Disabilities Council, Yellowknife Association for Community Living, the NWT Seniors’ Society, Hay River Committee for Persons with Disabilities, and the NWT Foster Family Coalition for their input and their support. It will require that we all continue to work together in order to deliver on action items.
We are looking forward to implementing the GNWT Disability Action Plan, which will guide the work required to advance our vision to make the NWT an inclusive and accessible territory.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Masi. Ministers' statements. The Honourable Premier.
Mr. Speaker, I wish to advise Members that the honourable Wally Schumann will be absent from the House for the remainder of this week to attend both the federal-provincial-territorial Ministers of internal trade and the federal-provincial-territorial Ministers of innovation and economic meetings in Vancouver, British Columbia.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I wept when the Office of the Auditor General reviewed its latest findings of the Child and Family Services audit. They concluded for the second time in four years that Child and Family Services is failing children in care; not just failing them, but sometimes putting them at risk of even greater harm than the circumstances that brought them into care in the first place. A child has been assaulted. Another was missing from a treatment program.
For example, health authorities must investigate a report of a child in a potentially unsafe situation within 30 days. The auditor found that a quarter of these investigations weren't completed on time. In a third of investigations, the required interview with parents, the child, and others with information didn't happen. In three-quarters of cases, long-term risks weren't assessed. All of these indicators have increased since the last audit four years ago.
Mr. Speaker, I believe that everyone involved in the lives of children in care wants them to be safe. The problem isn't intention; it's resources. The auditor found that the authorities are overburdened with changes that were not well resourced and which helped produce worse results. It is clear that the focus needs to be on the children themselves rather than on the systems that manage their circumstances.
A key recommendation in this audit is that the Department of Health and Social Services and the health authorities must perform a detailed assessment of the financial and human resources to deliver child and family services. The same recommendation was made four years ago and by Cindy Blackstock in her review of child and family services in 2009, and by the Child Welfare League of Canada 18 years ago. Until this work is done, we won't know why Yellowknife has twice as many child-protection workers as the Tlicho Community Services Agency when the size of their caseload is similar. The department's response to most of the recent recommendations focuses on things like team design and streamlining business processes. My fear is that children will again be pushed further to the margins while the department prioritizes its systems and ensures its liability is covered.
Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Health and Social Services was a member of the standing committee that hired Ms. Blackstock, and he has been the Health Minister for seven years.
Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.
---Unanimous consent granted
Mr. Speaker, that means the Minister has heard this call to identify the resources needed to provide these services at least three times, and the problems not only persist, they are getting worse. The children who needed his help nine years ago are now adults or well on their way. It's worth remembering that these children, all children, have but one childhood. Our priority must be to help children not only survive it, but to thrive in safe and supportive environments. Mahsi.
Members' statements. Member for Yellowknife Centre.
Merci, Monsieur le President. The recent report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change says we are already seeing the consequences of a 1-degree Celsius increase in global warming. There is more extreme weather and diminishing Arctic sea ice among other changes. Limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius would require "rapid, far-reaching, and unprecedented changes in all aspects of society." Ninety-one authors and review editors from 40 countries prepared the report with more than 6,000 scientific references cited.
The good news is that some of the kinds of actions that we would need to take to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius are already underway around the world, but they need to accelerate. On May 24th, I urged the federal government to reject Cabinet's Climate Change Plan. This was based on the unrealistic 44 percent greenhouse gas reductions from the expansion of Taltson Hydro, the back-end loading of emission reductions, misdirection of efforts on electricity production, rather than motivating large, industrial emitters, and a failure to address the leadership deficiencies noted in the Auditor General's report on NWT climate change.
The Cabinet response to the committee review of this audit tabled earlier this sitting fails again to adopt any changes in accountability or authority to ensure that there's adequate climate change leadership. Cabinet's approach on climate change falls far short of how we need to respond to the IPCC imperative of far-reaching and unprecedented changes.
The Minister of Finance finally announced Cabinet's approach to carbon pricing in July. While individuals and families will get some of the carbon tax back through the adjustments to the cost of living allowance and child benefit, industry, the largest emitter of greenhouse gas emissions, can actually get all of the carbon tax back that they pay. It will be individuals, families, and small businesses that will subsidize the GNWT initiatives under the energy strategy, not the largest emitters which include the diamond mines. This hardly seems fair or balanced.
The Minister of Finance has been silent on the issue of how the carbon tax will be managed and accounted for. It's not clear whether the reporting will try to link carbon tax funds collected with investments into renewables and any reductions in greenhouse gas emissions.
Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consented to conclude my statement.
---Unanimous consent granted.
A real carbon pricing system for the NWT can help us in fighting the climate change emergency that faces us.
We must pursue legislative and policy changes to ensure climate change leadership and an energy strategy built on renewables that doesn't masquerade as an infrastructure funding demand. As other regular Members have indicated, I cannot support Cabinet's Carbon Tax and Climate Change Plan. The federal government's back-stop approach on carbon pricing is starting to look a lot better. Masi, Mr. Speaker.
Masi. Members' statements. Member for Kam Lake.
Mr. Speaker, earlier this year, a young Indigenous woman went into Stanton Territorial Hospital complaining of extreme pain. The pain was so bad that, in the emergency room, she doubled over in agony and was curled up in the fetal position crying. It was then a nurse told this young woman that she was being dramatic before calling a security guard over to force the woman to stand up.
Medical records reveal staff indicated her unnecessarily hyperventilating and dramatically yelling. Only after this humiliation was the young woman diagnosed with 8.3-millimeter kidney stones, as well as strep throat.
Mr. Speaker, this experience was shared with me by one of my constituents, but, sadly, she's not alone in her encounters with cultural bias in the NWT health care system. Indigenous residents from across the NWT have raised similar concerns and shared similar horror stories. Only this morning, I heard tell of a common treatment prescribed to Indigenous patients complaining of illness in the smallest of our communities, "Take an aspirin, and the problem will go away," leading some to call it the magic pill, used as a catch-all for any medical issue raised in the community.
We, as a government, have an obligation to ensure the health care system and all government services are free from prejudice, racism, or bias. It's disheartening to hear about the instances of misdiagnosis and neglect. All too often, Indigenous peoples are labelled as intoxicated, which is, yes, symptomatic of alcohol consumption; however, the symptom is shared with the following medical conditions: diabetes, hypoglycemia, epilepsy, brain injury, Alzheimer's, Wilson's disease, multiple sclerosis, stroke, hypothermia, and hypoxia, just to name a few, Mr. Speaker.
Misdiagnosing these patients due to their cultural background is an example of what researchers call implicit or unconscious racism, rather than intentional racism. We must avoid the factors that ensure these problems continue from generation to generation.
Breaking the cycle of racial and cultural bias is the best path forward, and we can do it together. We must ensure that frontline government workers have appropriate training, not triage nor to diagnose, but to be aware of the complexity of symptoms and the full range of possible causes, as opposed to jumping on our own deeply held preconception and bias.
In June of this year, the Honourable Minister of Health and Social Services agreed with these concerns and promised changes are coming to the public health care system in the NWT, including cultural training for healthcare workers that was slated to begin this fall.
Mr. Speaker, I want to believe this government is taking the actions to fix this problem, and I will be asking the Minister of Health and Social Services to help me believe. Thank you.
Masi. Members' statements. Member for Yellowknife North.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I rise to share a good news success story. It's a story of collaboration between government, the private sector, and non-profit groups. It benefits many sectors: tourism, education, recreation, mining, and culture, and, notably, it didn't need structure, process, or even regulation.
Mr. Speaker, in the 1930s, prospectors came north seeking gold. One of them was Winslow Ranney. In his search, he opened what became known as the Ranney Hill Trail just a little bit north of here. Years later, as gold mines closed and Yellowknife became a government town, exploration trails were adapted for recreation. The Ranney Hill Trail became known for its excellent examples of geology that built Yellowknife.
In 2013, TerraX Minerals acquired the area as part of its ongoing Yellowknife city goal project. Later, TerraX partnered with ITI, the NWT Geological Survey and Mine Society, to offer a prospecting course in the Ranney Hill Geological Interpretive Trail. The course offers people from around the territory their prospecting licence, and it sells out every year.
In 2017, a working group was established to consider ways different groups could use the trail. It was led by NWT Parks and Recreation Association and included ITI's tourism and minerals directorate, TerraX, and the NWT Geological Survey. They funded independent consultations and studies for the multiple uses of the trail.
This past summer, the Mine Training Society led the implementation plan, and new partners joined the team. Fifty directional sign posts were installed, disorienting flagging was removed, parking at the trail head was expanded, and the trail surface was maintained. Most of the work was done by volunteers from recreational groups.
Next year's plan includes boardwalks to protect wet areas, benches, and interpretive signage, and an interpretive phone app will be launched.
Mr. Speaker, now this trail is easily accessible to families, students, and tourists. It's becoming increasingly popular with youth groups and tour operators.
Mr. Speaker, the evolution of this trail facility is a great example of what can be achieved through collaboration. Many different community groups now have a facility that serves their specific needs, all without complex administration or bureaucracy.
I'd like to express my appreciation to all the groups, organizations, and individuals who contributed their time and energy to this valuable community project. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Masi. Members' statements. Member for Mackenzie Delta.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, public housing tenants in my riding are troubled by changes in their power bills. For a little bit of background, the NWT Housing Corporation is in the third phase of its mandate commitment to development options to rationalize public housing utility pricing structures to promote self-reliance. Over the past three years, the Housing Corporation has been slowly reducing its subsidy of power rates for public housing tenants. The government's goal is to increase energy conservation and tenants' self-reliance, and to conserve corporation funds, all through bringing tenants' power rates in line with power rates of other residents.
Mr. Speaker, these are good goals. Still, I'm troubled by the way this has all rolled out. Change is never easy, and, when change means higher power bills for low-income tenants, many of whom are already on income support, there's going to be confusion, worry, and distress. Some of my constituents haven't been sure how much their power bills will go up or how it might affect their ability to pay other things they need, like food, clothing, gas, and other items, for themselves and their families. There's another inkle, tenants using income support programs are wondering how income assistance will adapt to these new costs. I know that this is something that the Housing Corporation has been working on for a while now, but to bring this initiative to the finish line.
Mr. Speaker, there are questions that still need to be answered and clear and open communication with affected tenants will be critical. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'll have questions later today.
Masi. Members' statements. Member for Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh.
Marsi cho, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, today I would like to speak on two ideas I have for post-secondary students in the NWT. On February 7 and again on May 31, 2018 a Member states turning the idea of the old Stanton Territorial Hospital into a nursing school as it transitions into a long-term care facility for seniors. Mr. Speaker, this idea is still relevant today and remains to be an idea which contains a lot of potential for the NWT. This is also an idea where I get more and more positive feedback as I talk about it. Therefore, Mr. Speaker, today I would like to reiterate some previous comments I made on this topic as well as some new ideas I'd like to share on expanding post-secondary education in the NWT.
Mr. Speaker, creating a nursing school at NWT has all the ingredients needed to foster employment across our territory. This would happen because we would create a facility which houses long-term care patients and will in effect serve as a school for students in and outside of Yellowknife. That would make it possible for seniors in all 33 communities to remain in their own homes. This would make it possible thanks to the newly trained nurses and homecare workers that would return to their communities to work in the field.
Furthermore, Mr. Speaker, looking forward into the future, I think the Department of Education, Culture and Employment should consider expanding the scope of the current science curriculum being delivered in Aurora College in Fort Smith. My vision for what the main changes might look like includes an implementation of a fully-fledged school for conservation and environmental studies. Mr. Speaker, such an investment in education would long serve the people of the NWT on a number of fronts: firstly, northern students who study this topic would acquire the option of remaining in the North during the entirety of their studies; secondly, the NWT would become better positioned to employ new students right out of post-secondary into a field of environment and conservation. Currently, Mr. Speaker, the federal government is investing in conservation across Canada. They put $1.3 billion in over the next five years as it has become the most significant investment in nature conservation in Canadian history.
Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.
---Unanimous consent granted
Now we have an opportunity to engage the federal government and other non-governmental organizations to make a school such as this a reality. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Masi. Members' statements. Member for Nunakput.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, yesterday the NWT Recreation and Parks Association's Active Elder Award was recognized to one of my constituents, Ms. Eunice Nasogaluak from Tuktoyaktuk, which recognizes an elder who is physically active. Mr. Speaker, Eunice has lived in Tuktoyaktuk for the past 52 years and enjoys being a part of the community. She gives back in so many ways, through music, teaching, sharing her language, and volunteering at community events. Mr. Speaker, Eunice has been part of the Walk to Tuk challenge for the past few years, keeping active and encouraging others to do the same. She is also an active singer, dancer, and drummer, and is always ready to share her skills with the youth. Mr. Speaker, she has raised money, written proposals, and organized trips for the dance group to Nome and Barrow, Alaska; Edmonton; Haines Junction; Whitehorse.
Mr. Speaker, Eunice enjoys playing the bass guitar for old-time dances and community gatherings, and volunteering with the End of the Road Music Festival in Tuktoyaktuk. She's also an excellent seamstress, who always joins in for local sewing projects. Eunice takes advantage of every opportunity to share her language and culture with young people in the community. She brings traditional foods such as geese and caribou to the school so students from junior kindergarten to grade 9 can learn how to process meats. She shows the students how to clean, cut, and prepare their foods, while also teaching them the different parts of Inuvialuktun. Mr. Speaker, Eunice has taught Inuvialuktun for many years in the community. She encourages graduates to continue their Inuvialuktun language. She's also a strong proponent of education supporting youth and young people to go on to college or university, as they are the community's future leaders. At every event or opportunity, she's there to cheer on and encourage the youth.
Mr. Speaker, today I would like you to join me in commending Eunice Nasogaluak, who's an inspiration to many elders, youth, and youth in her community in the territory and around the country. Quyanainni, Mr. Speaker.
Masi. Member's statements. Member for Hay River North.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I always advocate for my constituents, and, when a constituent brings an issue to me, I always give them the benefit of the doubt, knowing that there are at least two sides to a story. I'll admit, when I've heard issues regarding my constituent's dealings with Child and Family Services, I used to think that perhaps the emotional aspect of the situation made the interaction seem worse than it was. Well, Mr. Speaker, I apologize for that. I've been set straight by the Office of the Auditor General of Canada, which just released its audit of the Child and Family Services. It's a follow-up audit to the one performed in 2014, which exposed such poor performance that it demanded to be revisited.
The Office of the Auditor General has concluded, Mr. Speaker, that things have actually gotten worse since 2014 and that it's "deeply concerned" by its findings. I tried to craft a statement with a level of outrage that this situation warrants, but I couldn't. There's no way to adequately express the anger that everyone should be feeling right now. We should all be ashamed, Mr. Speaker, for being part of a system that treats our most vulnerable in this way. If we can't put in the effort to get this right, then what? How bad is it, Mr. Speaker? Here are some of the findings. One-fifth of the time that someone contacted a regional health authority with concerns about the safety of a child, there was no response. Nine out of 10 times, the minimal level of contact with a parent and a child subject to a plan of care was not maintained. There were no systemic background checks on potential guardians. The list goes on and on and on.
After the last audit, the department's response was to introduce complex administrative changes into an already over-burdened and over-bureaucratic system instead of actually assessing whether or not it has the resources to do its job. Spoiler alert, Mr. Speaker, it doesn't. I also have to add, Mr. Speaker, that 95 percent of the children engaged in the system are Aboriginal. Is this what reconciliation looks like to this government, Mr. Speaker? I don't think that the Minister is insensitive to this issue or the departmental staff doesn't care about the children, but, after seeing what happened since 2014, I'm terrified about what the future holds. This is an unacceptable situation, and the Minister and all of us in this House need to act or move aside for those who will. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Masi. Members' statements. Member for Nahendeh.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, on October 3, 2018, Rita Betsedea passed away. She was born on September 16, 1962 at old Fort Wrigley, to Baptiste and Alice Betsedea. She was one of 12 children. Growing up, she was daddy's favourite girl. Her favourite times were when her dad came home from trapping with beaver meat full of fat. Family always remembered her little chin just dripping with fat. Her nickname was "Little Doll." She brought a lot of joy to the home. She loved the outdoors and being with her family. At nighttime, she asked her Abba to sit outside. When she was asked why, she would always reply, "I want to look at the stars." As a child, Rita attended residential school at Lapointe Hall in Fort Simpson. She didn't talk much about it. Throughout it all, Rita held her own language and traditional lifestyle.
Her son Keith remembers all the hunting trips Rita came on. He recalls their time on the river as some of the happiest times in their life, with lots of good food, stories, and laughter. Jonathan remembers one particular trip to Willow River, when his Uncle Tony wanted to go for a skidoo ride. Harley, the youngest daughter, begged her mom to let her go out, and off she went. Once they were past the falls, they stopped for a rest. Harley quietly told Jonathan, "Look, there are two moose crossing the river." Tony shot one, and Jonathan got the other. When they got back home, Harley ran into the house and yelled, "They got two moose!" Jonathan said his mom came out and said she was very proud of them and couldn't stop smiling.
Harley remembered her mom as always being "the fun mom." She would play games and play jokes on them. One time, when she was playing tag with the kids, they were all running around and laughing until Rita stepped on a rake just the right way. Next thing, she was screaming, "I raked myself! I raked myself!"
Miranda said her mom was always there for her. No matter what she asked, her mom made it happen. She had a big heart and was always helping people.
She loved her grandchildren with all her heart. She spoiled them all with her love and attention, but would protect them as fiercely a mama bear.
Rita was known and loved far and wide by many. She will be missed deeply by all of her family and friends. Her quick wit and infectious laugh will sadly be missed. She was famous for saying, "Let's dance," and that is how people have chosen to her remember her on this day.
Mr. Speaker, I have been asked to wear this lapel by the family in recognition of her. Thank you, Mr. Speaker
Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased to recognize representatives of United Way NWT that are here in the gallery. In attendance today, the chair of the United Way NWT, Tracy St. Denis; United Way NWT board member, Matt Spence; also Gayla Thunstrom, the first vice president of the Union of Northern Workers; Frank Walsh; and Jennifer Wright with the Union of Northern Workers, who are partners in United Way NWT.
Also, I would like to recognize three Pages from Yellowknife South who have been here for the four weeks of this session, Ayush Bhanot, Nigel Curtis, Tyson Clarke, and also recognize all of the Pages for all of the good work that they have done. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Masi. Recognition of visitors in the gallery. Member for Great Slave.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Later today, I will be tabling the GNWT Disability Action Plan, so I am very pleased to have the following people joining us today from the NWT Disabilities Council: Terry Hawkins, the chair; Cornelius Van Dyke, the vice chair; Kim Tregidgo, the board member from Hay River; Christopher Aitkens, board member from Hay River; Denise McKee, executive director, and thank you all for being here and being so supportive of the work that we are doing to support persons with disabilities. Thank you.
Masi. Recognition of visitors in the gallery. Member for Hay River North.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I also want to recognize a couple of board members of the NWT Disabilities Council from Hay River, Mr. Christopher Aitkens and Ms. Kim Tregidgo. Mr. Aitkens is also the president of the Hay River Soup Kitchen that the Premier mentioned earlier. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Masi. Recognition of visitors in the gallery. Member for Nunakput.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Earlier on in my Member's statement, I mentioned Ms. Eunice Nasogaluak, who is an elder from Tuktoyaktuk. Mr. Speaker, Eunice is married to my relative, the late William Nasogaluak, and seeing her presentation yesterday was actually very uplifting. I just want to thank Eunice for all the hard work that she does within the community and around the region with her culture and traditional knowledge. Keep up the good work, Eunice. Thank you. Quyanainni, Mr. Speaker.
Masi. Recognition of visitors in the gallery. Member for Yellowknife North.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, today I would like to recognize Matt Spence, Tracy St. Denis, Frank Walsh, and Susan Fitzky as constituents from Yellowknife North. Welcome, and thank you for being here.
