Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The fact that the final report for the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women was released on June 3, 2019, which both the Premier, who was then the Minister responsible for the Status of Women, and I had attended this event, can the Premier advise if there is any progress to the national action plan to address the 231 Calls for Justice from the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls report that the NWT has agreed to, as part of my understanding.
Thank you, Member for Inuvik Twin Lakes. Honourable Premier.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Normally, questions on this topic would go to the current Minister responsible for the Status of Women. However, in discussion with it, because I was the previous Minister responsible for the Status of Women, it is appropriate that it would come to me.
There were commitments made in the 18th Legislative Assembly on behalf of Cabinet. We had committed to being part of the national action plan that would be done by the federal government, of course waiting if they got elected again, which they have been. We did a high-level review of the report, and we identified not specific questions, but more of a thematic kind of approach to the inquiry itself, to the release of the report. That was tabled in the House in August last year.
My commitment is carrying it forward. We do have a new federal government. I have brought up the government to Minister Carolyn Bennett when I met with her two weeks ago. Our current Minister for Status of Women has just taken part in the federal-provincial-territorial meeting two weeks ago. That was in Victoria. We are committed to carrying forward this work.
Many of us in this House are Indigenous women. We know the pain. We know the suffering. We hope that not all of us are impacted by missing and murdered, but women in general are being hurt on a daily basis. We have heard that. Indigenous women have been neglected by society; I know that. This government commits to moving forward with this file, to doing whatever we can within our power to address the issue of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls and, of course, the needs of the LGBTQ2S population.
I am happy to hear that. Can the Premier advise if there is a plan or any progress on an NWT action plan to address the 231 calls for justice from the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls report?
During the end of the last Assembly, we did develop an interdepartmental working group to address this issue. It was put on hold through the election because we had to be respectful of the incoming Legislative Assembly. Very happily, I am now the Premier of this 19th Legislative Assembly, so we will definitely be picking up the work. We will be reinstating the interdepartmental working group to look at every recommendation in the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls report that was filed. Like I said before, we are committed to working with the federal government and across jurisdictions to address this issue. It is not acceptable, Mr. Speaker, and we are committed to doing our part.
Can the Premier advise how the Regular Members will be involved in this and when an action plan could be expected?
As stated in my opening statement, we are committed to working more closely with the Regular Members, so we will actually, as we develop this work, we will be consulting and working closely with the appropriate standing committee to define the actions as we move forward. This will not be done in isolation. It will be done together.
Thank you, honourable Premier. Oral questions. Member for Inuvik Twin Lakes.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question was: when can we expect this plan? If it's the Standing Committee on Social Development, when can we expect something of this nature? Thank you.
I am sorry that I didn't address that part of the question, but it gives you this supplementary question. I would love to be able to give a timeline, but I feel that would be disrespectful of the process, because we are also engaging with the national action plan as well. I think that, in all honesty, they kind of have to go hand-in-hand to make this comprehensive.
My statement stands as it is, though. We will begin this process early in the new year. I will allow my departments to take a Christmas holiday. As soon as that's done, we are reinstating the work, and we will engage with standing committee at the appropriate times. As soon as we hear from the national action plan, we will book our first meeting. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, honourable Premier. Oral questions. Member for Tu NedheWiilideh.
