Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my questions today are in regards to the homelessness strategy A Way Home. The homelessness strategy was tabled earlier this year and my first question that I'd like to gain some perspective on is who is ultimately responsible for homelessness and the homelessness strategy within our government? Thank you.
Thank you, Member for Kam Lake. Minister responsible for Homelessness.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Who's there was a couple questions. Who is responsible for homelessness, and who is responsible for the strategy within our government?
Many factors impact homelessness, Mr. Speaker. I think all of society has to look at that and how we treat people, how we give opportunities to people, because I think we all have a role in that to look at. I think that government departments, each department, we have a Minister responsible for Housing. She's responsible to make sure that we have houses on the ground. But we have a justice Minister here. We have an education Minister. We have a health Minister. We have ITI. We have all Ministers have to take ownership and look at what they can do within their departments to address housing and homelessness specifically.
As for the homelessness strategy, Mr. Speaker, the MLA's right. We waited five years for that strategy, and there was no way I was going to leave this government without one. It's where my passion, my heart is as well. So the homelessness strategy has now been taken in under the Premier's portfolio under Executive and Indigenous Affairs. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I'm wondering if the intent is for this strategy, in the life of this strategy as it works through all of the deliverables, will remain with the Premier's office or if the intent is to eventually shift it to housing or into department land, or is that going to be seen moving forward as almost like a new unit that then lives within EIA? Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I can't really speak for the next government or governments to come. The Premier does have the option to be able to shuffle departments, move Ministers as appropriate, consolidate as we did, or make departments bigger. That's always under the purview of the Premier. However, I did my best, Mr. Speaker, to try to make it sustainable within the Executive and Indigenous Affairs, and that's why purposely I brought the homelessness strategy under the Premier's portfolio in this government. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, there's a lot in here, and a lot of really important work in here, but a lot of it, before we end up with houses on the ground and before we end up with things like integrated service delivery, a lot of it is things that need to happen within the back end of department land. And so it's really important that we see this work get done and get done on time. And so I'm wondering if the Premier can speak to since it was tabled since this strategy was tabled, what has been accomplished within the GNWT? Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. So the commitments for the by the end of this government would be that the integrated case management workers would be housed within the Executive and Indigenous Affairs. We were working on the job descriptions, the evaluations, etcetera, just before the evacuation happened. I believe that process, if it's not finished already, will be close to. And I'll make a point of making sure that it's done before I leave. And so before the end of this government, the job descriptions, the people that will be hired, that integrated case management team will be located in the Executive and Indigenous Affairs, and we will begin to make those connections with all of the agencies because it can't be done alone by the GNWT. It has to be done in consultation, side by side, with the agencies addressing homelessness. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Madam Premier. Final supplementary. Member for Kam Lake.
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I'm wondering if the Premier can next speak to what, in the next six months, we can expect to see come from this government. My biggest concern is that a lot of the things that we see happening are going to be internal, and we really need action on the ground so that people of the Northwest Territories feel it and, at the end of the day, we reach zero homelessness. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. What can be addressed in what's going to happen in the next six months, I can't speak to that, Mr. Speaker, because there will be an election within the next six months. So what I can speak to is by the end of this government, we shall have that team organized and put into the Executive and Indigenous Affairs.
Mr. Speaker, though, this cannot this issue is huge and it needs to be addressed. The reason that we did the homelessness strategy, the reason that we pulled it into the executive is because it's been off the side of the table for departments for many, many decades, and we've realized that that is not okay. So personally, I'm going to do my piece to make sure that this gets integrated into the executive to be as strong as it can. I need MLAs in the next Assembly, and residents I will be part of that chain banging the drum. We need to make sure that homelessness is a priority, that homelessness stays a priority, and that the integrated services, not just the people, but departments working together continue so that we can address homelessness so that people have the basic standard a home to live in. If you don't have a place to live, Mr. Speaker food, clothing, and shelter lots of research says you won't prosper. So my hope is that the MLAs sitting across the table, those that get reelected, will continue to make this a priority and will continue to push government because even if you are or not, I will be doing that as a resident to the NWT. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Madam Premier. Oral questions. Member for Monfwi.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I just want to make a comment. I know that the Minister is going to be retiring and not returning in the fall. But the question that I asked, it needed to be asked. The Assembly may be ending but the work is not ending, so I just wanted to make that comment. Thank you.
Thank you, Member for Monfwi. Taken as a comment. Oral questions. Written questions. Returns to written questions. Sorry, Member for Great Slave.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I speak unanimous consent to return to recognition of visitors in the gallery. Thank you.
Thank you, Member for Great Slave. The Member is seeking unanimous consent to return to item 5. Are there any nays? Member for Great Slave.
