Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I understand that the Premier's position is generally to stay out of international affairs, and that is his prerogative. However, as the territory grows, especially with newcomers from many diasporas abroad, what actions is the Premier comfortable in taking to make them feel welcomed and supported in times of hardship and if he feels that that is the responsibility of the federal government? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member from Great Slave. Mr. Premier.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. So while I have made clear that I do stay out of international politics, of course we have residents in the Northwest Territories who are from abroad, and they are now Northerners and we want to make Northerners feel welcomed. So the things that we can do are things that the Member is doing herself, acknowledging when people are experiencing hardship, recognizing their concerns, providing support to them, when it's necessary condemning antiPalestinian racism, antiSemitism, listening. Mr. Speaker, the Member noted that I did have a meeting with her and her constituent and, you know, I heard stories that were moving. She was right I was moved, and I thought about that meeting every single day since then. So we need to be kind to each other. We need to recognize that somebody might be going through something that we don't understand.
In terms of official supports, the federal government does provide funding for settlement services for those who are immigrating to the Northwest Territories, but to make someone feel welcomed and to help them through hardship, I think that's up to each and every one of us as residents of the Northwest Territories. During my time in this Assembly, I've seen a number of a number of tragedies, a number of hard times, and what I've seen is people coming together and people supporting each other, and I think that's what is needed, and I'm willing to do that. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And thank you to the Premier for that. In what ways can the Premier commit to acting on upholding human rights in Gaza on behalf of the residents of the NWT? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And, again, I have no policy mechanisms to impact what is happening in Gaza. But that being said, the Northwest Territories does work with the federal government when it comes to immigration, and so I know the federal government has implemented some changes to their processes and the Northwest Territories Nominee Program, which is our side of that immigration process, is doing what it can to expedite or help expedite applications for those who are coming from impacted regions. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And thank you to the Premier for that. Just a comment really; I will follow up with the Minister of ECE on that program.
Thank you, Member. Colleagues, remember comments if you don't have a second set of questions, third question, please allow your colleagues to move on.
Oral questions. Member from Inuvik Boot Lake.
