Madam Speaker, as we pass the midpoint for the 19th Legislative Assembly, it is important to take stock of where we are as a government, and the progress we are making in fulfilling the commitments we made in our mandate.
At the beginning of this Legislative Assembly, our government tabled the Mandate of the Government of the Northwest Territories 20192023, which established the actions we planned to take to advance the 22 shared priorities set by this Legislative Assembly.
Madam Speaker, despite the ongoing challenges felt here at home and around the world because of the COVID pandemic, our government continues to make progress on our mandate commitments. In fact, we expect to be able to achieve the majority of our commitments within the life of this Legislative Assembly.
Later today, I will table our government's second annual status report on the implementation of the mandate. This report highlights some of our major accomplishments from the past year, as well as a number of expected achievements for the upcoming year. Madam Speaker, I would now like to share some of the highlights with Members.
In the past year, our government has continued to build and strengthen our relationships with Indigenous governments through the Intergovernmental Council and by establishing and holding regular meetings with the NWT Council of Leaders, and the Modern Treaty and SelfGovernment Partners forum. These forums support our government's efforts to build stronger, more collaborative relationships with Indigenous governments.
One of the specific initiatives underway at the officials' working group level is advancing the implementation of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. We are also in the process of undertaking engagement on the GNWT's draft Action Plan on Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls.
A number of initiatives are also underway to improve social supports for residents and community governments. Most notably, our government signed an important funding agreement with Canada late last year to create 300 fulltime equivalent affordable childcare spaces by 2026 and support increased affordability for existing spaces for children from birth to age five. This funding will support the Early Learning and Child Care Strategy, scheduled to be completed in the near future.
Important social programs, including On-the-land Healing programs, the Healthy Family program, increased social housing programs and increasing housing units, as well as many other programs and services continue to be expanded.
Madam Speaker, we are also taking action toward growing, diversifying and expanding our economy in the aftermath of the pandemic. The procurement review was completed last year, and work is underway to develop and implement the policy changes necessary to maximize economic benefits for northern businesses and residents. We completed major infrastructure projects like the Tlicho Highway in the past year and continue important work to advance others, including the Taltson Hydro Expansion, the Slave Geological Province Corridor, and the Mackenzie Valley Highway. In the past year, we have also secured federal funding for the replacement of the Frank Channel Bridge and the Inuvik Airport runway extension.
Madam Speaker, we are also continuing the transformation of Aurora College into a polytechnic university. By passing amendments to the Aurora College Act, securing federal funding to support infrastructure planning and the development of enhanced research capacity, we are creating a strong foundation that will benefit northern students, communities, and our economy.
With regards to climate change, the NWT Climate Change Council was established this past year, including Indigenous governments and Indigenous organizations, community governments, and other external partners. We have also integrated climate change considerations into our government's decisionmaking instruments.
This coming year will see the release of an updated 2030 Energy Strategy Action Plan to support the continued advancement of a number of projects aimed at reducing emissions, including transmission lines and the Inuvik Wind Project.
Madam Speaker, we recognize that new challenges likely lie ahead as we attempt to recover from the effects of the pandemic and adjust to a "new normal" where COVID is endemic in our society. It is therefore critical that we continue working collaboratively with our partners, including Indigenous governments, community governments, federal and interjurisdictional governments, industry, nongovernmental organizations, and residents, as well as all Members of the Legislative Assembly, to address any new challenges and to continue to advance mandate commitments.
Madam Speaker, this represents only a small amount of the hard work our public service has done to deliver programs and services for the residents of the NWT. I am inspired by the way Northerners have pulled together through the last two years despite the many challenges. With a shared vision for our territory and a collaborative spirit, I am confident that our government will continue to make progress on our commitments as we enter the second half of our term. I look forward to discussing our progress on the mandate in more detail, and in continuing to work with Regular Members on our shared priorities.
Thank you, Madam Speaker.
Thank you, Premier. Ministers' Statements. Minister for Education, Culture and Employment.
