Bob McLeod

In response to correspondence from the three northern premiers, the Prime Minister has committed in writing to investments in Budget 2019 that reflect the Arctic and Northern Policy Framework, and I look forward to seeing those. However, it is the Government of the Northwest Territories' understanding that the overall governance and financial plan for the framework is not yet set, and this does create challenges for us in predicting what money will flow, when, or how. With that said and although the framework is not yet completed, we are seeing some initial movement in priority areas our...

One of the pieces that has been added to the current federal framework as a result of this collaboration is a section on the importance of reconciliation and self-determination.

Throughout this federal process, the Government of the Northwest Territories has made every effort to meet the timelines set by Canada, regardless of how they have evolved. That said, as a government, I will not support a document that does not clearly focus on a positive economic future for our territory and one that acknowledges the importance of increasing the power of northern voices.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The first thing to note is that this is a federal framework. The Government of the Northwest Territories has been vocal about ensuring that Northwest Territories interests, including those of Indigenous governments, are given priority by the federal government. We continue to stress to Canada the importance of having an equal representation of Dene, Metis, and Inuit voices in the Arctic and Northern Policy Framework.

In the spring of 2018, when there were initial drafts of the federal framework, the Government of the Northwest Territories shared them with officials from...

As of February 1, 2019, we are reporting on the implementation of the mandate. We have 123 commitments fulfilled, 107 commitments in progress, and zero commitments in the planning stage.

Cabinet open houses are a valuable opportunity for all of us in Cabinet to hear directly from people in each riding. We have two Cabinet open houses left to do, and we are prepared and looking forward to going to Nunakput, and we will hold Cabinet open houses in both of these ridings that we have not attended yet. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Government of the Northwest Territories is committed through the Respect, Recognition, and Responsibility document to work collaboratively with Northwest Territories Indigenous governments, including those with settled land claim agreements, on policies and approaches to public program and service delivery that reflect common interests and address shared concerns.

As Indigenous governments move toward self-determination, the Government of the Northwest Territories is committed to working collaboratively to support capacity building, the transition to self-government jurisdiction, and the...

Mr. Speaker, I would like to welcome Members back for the continuation of the Third Session of the Legislative Assembly.

We are now into the final months of the 18th Legislative Assembly and Ministers and Members have been working hard together to create a better territory for our residents, one in which all people have the support and opportunities they need to be healthy and economically secure, while maintaining their connection to a sustainable and well-managed environment.

I want to recognize everyone in this House for their efforts and their commitment to advancing our work on behalf of...

As I said earlier, I think, responding to questions earlier, we have mediation coming up with the UNW on Friday. We are hoping to reach an agreement with them, and we will see what happens after that. As far as the other tables go, again, we are waiting to hear from Hay River Health and Social Services, and we are also looking to continue our talks with NTPC.

A strike is not something that anybody wants, and it is not something that the people of the Northwest Territories want, especially the employees. We feel that we have been very fair in our discussions with UNW. Again, that remains to be...

In my mind, I don't believe that all of the Members took into account whether all of these commitments were doable in four years. Some of the commitments were very, very specific, and as such they are difficult to fulfill. Others are ongoing commitments that were there before; we have been doing a lot of work on it. Moving into the next Assembly, they will continue.

It is not an easy process, to just say, "Okay, we've done this," and move on to the next one, and that is why we are tracking all of the commitments that were made.