Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Government of Northwest Territories (GNWT) is the primary authority responsible for all ground search and rescue (GSAR) in the territory except for national parks and national historical sites which are the responsibility of Parks Canada.
As the primary authority, the GNWT is responsible for overseeing all aspects of GSAR including service delivery, training and preparedness, and prevention activities. The need for responsive ground search and rescue services is especially key in a territory as vast as ours. Therefore, The Government of the Northwest Territories' Department of Justice commissioned a review of search and rescue in the Northwest Territories during the 19th Assembly.
MNP LLP conducted the review and provided the GNWT with a final report in 2021-2022. To date, there has been no known response to the report or recommendations. The Government has not provided an update on the Northwest Territories SAR system or a response to this report over the last three years. The report was finally tabled in the Legislative Assembly on June 13, 2024.
I have the following questions for the Minister of Justice regarding the Government of the Northwest Territories' response to the report:
It is understood the contract for the report was $95,000. Can the Minister confirm how the contract for this work (review and report) was awarded and what the final cost of the contract was;
Can the Department of Justice provide an official response to each recommendation of the report, including comprehensive details on the implementation of each accepted recommendation;
Can the Department of Justice provide statistics on the frequency of ground search and rescue operations over the last ten years; and
Can the Department of Justice provide the expenses required for ground search and rescue incidents over the last ten years?
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member from Range Lake. Written questions. Member from Yellowknife Centre.
