Well, thank you, Mr. Speaker. A fundamental aspect of a funeral respecting and honouring the deceased, the sanctity and reverence for a loved one's soul comes from when families in my communities gather to say good-bye. Recently, my community have come to me to place their concerns with the fact that caskets have been reused multiple times, disrespecting the deceased and causing anguish to the family during a time that they should be focusing on grieving together.
Just two years ago, my communities had a choice: To purchase caskets from Inuvik, Hay River, and Fort Smith. Today, there is no market but the monopoly the GNWT is enforcing, and the consequences of this monopoly is a lack of cultural sensitivity.
The lack of open market not only just disregards Indigenous culture and traditions but has led to very high costs for communities. Indigenous communities like my own in Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh experience funerals and celebration at a large gathering so that they may grieve collectively and follow their traditions together as a community. It takes a lot of resources and planning to organize these funerals appropriately. And so without an open market, the cost of the casket, transportation, and all the services that go along with these ceremonies can be extremely high. My community members can get support from their bands and from the *ministry directives. I know it goes a long way to get help with financial support from the GNWT, but the high cost and lack of choices due to this enforcement often limits how far they can get help. And there's still big gaps in the health and social services policy. Mr. Speaker, I would have questions for the Minister of health at the appropriate time. Thank you.
Thank you, Member from Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh. Members' statements.
