Caroline Cochrane

Thank you, Madam Chair. I know that people are trying to nail down timelines. I would like to give timelines. However, I am also conscious of the amount of workload that we have to take on. What I commit to is that it will be done within two years, but, in the meantime, any extraordinary funding that comes across my desk as the Premier will be scrutinized. Perhaps I will even extend it to offering standing committee an explanation of the requests so that we can do this together as a team, which we should be doing. Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you, Madam Chair. Our department has just compiled a recent list of all of the board vacancies, throughout not only the Northwest Territories but federal departments, as well. We will be sharing that with Ministers. We will be giving direction that a gender-plus analysis be looked at within those board appointments. In the last Assembly, I must say that, when I was the Minister responsible for the Status of Women, I was adamant on every single appointment. When they were being appointed, I was asking, "Is it a woman, and if it's not a woman, why is it not a woman?" Those are...

Thank you, Madam Chair. We have made a commitment in this government to look at the mandates and negotiations. How we move forward to that, I think we've put it out there that that would be within a joint committee, to do that work. I'm open to that, as well. However, I do want to say that I think there's a misperception. Negotiations are still going on. They've been going on. It's not that they have zero mandate, Madam Chair. It's that they have a mandate that says, for example, it might say, you can go into, there are three categories: land, royalties, and money. Often, Indigenous...

Madam Speaker, I wish to advise Members that the Honourable Katrina Nokleby will be absent from the House today and tomorrow to attend the Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada Conference in Toronto, Ontario. Thank you, Madam Speaker.

Thank you, Madam Chair. There are a few different reasons, but the biggest reason that I understand is that some people, to this day still, believe that the GNWT has no place in any negotiations, and so therefore they refuse to sign on because they did not want the Government of the Northwest Territories to have any say in land and water issues. Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you, Madam Chair. We do save the royalties received for a period of one year, because we are still, and any Indigenous government that would like to sign on to devolution is welcome to do that, we're one party of it. We don't see ourselves as the controller. I see myself as one party. Then, after a year, we bring it back to the Intergovernmental Council and we let all Indigenous governments around the table decide what is going to be done with that funding. So, again, it is specific money delegated for Indigenous governments that sign on to devolution, and we're still open to having as...

Thank you, Madam Chair. Before devolution went on, we had approached all of the Indigenous governments; before my time, so this is my understanding. We approached all of the Indigenous governments, gave them an offer to sign on. Those who signed on to devolution and agreed to be part of it share in the royalties that are obtained from devolution. Those who chose not to sign on do not get the devolution shares, but they might also get portions within their own self-government agreements or land claims, or just their own assets; but the devolution is specifically for those who signed on to...

Madam Chair, I would like to transfer it to the Minister of ITI, but if we could ask the Member to repeat his question for the Minister, that would be helpful. Thank you.

Thank you, Madam Chair. The reason that is, is because there is not one set of standards of care or training or qualifications across the world. For example, I have heard nightmare stories of people in some countries that are pulling teeth on sidewalks. Do you want me to make them your dentist? Those are the things that I am asking. There has to be a quality of care that people need to meet the standards, the Canadian standards of healthcare. Thank you, Madam Chair.

My Ministers are willing to visit constituents as people invite them. Unfortunately, though, I can't make a commitment on what time, because they all have schedules that they will have to coordinate. Invite us and we will come.