Frieda Martselos

Thank you, Madam Chair. Policing has always been a problem, with $47.6 million spent on the RCMP, and the visibility within the community is almost zero. That is a problem in my community. We haven't had any drug busts for over 20 years. They're not visible in the community. I've had a problem with that for many years, even as a chief of Salt River. I just feel that more could be done. That's a lot of money spent on an independent organization that doesn't have a lot of communication with First Nations. I have a real problem with that.

How to fix it? I don't know, but there has to be some...

Mr. Speaker, I think this motion is vital to improving how we deal with people of colour, Black people, and Indigenous people. Coming from the heart, I think that it's a very important motion, that we all have to recognize that things are not the way they should be all the time. Having a personal experience that happened to me on February 1st, I have never had that happen to me, and I never felt that way in all of the years that I have lived in the Northwest Territories. I have been very fortunate. A lot of the people that I represent, especially the Indigenous people of Salt River and all of...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The motion is on systemic racism:

WHEREAS half the population of the Northwest Territories is Indigenous;

AND WHEREAS the population of the Northwest Territories is becoming more racially diverse;

AND WHEREAS Indigenous peoples have faced colonialism and cultural genocide;

AND WHEREAS the Government of the Northwest Territories has accepted the recommendations of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, the principles of the United Nations Declaration of the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, and the calls to justice of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have spoken before about systemic racism existing within government policies and laws, police departments, and other public institutions. However, today, I would like to discuss systemic racism in a slightly different but equally significant context.

Mr. Speaker, I recently had a personal experience of systemic racism in Yellowknife, which occurred last month on February 1st at the NWT SPCA. I had been searching for a puppy for a number of months at that point and decided to stop at the SPCA to see some new puppies that had just arrived the day before. When I entered...

Thank you, Madam Chair. I am very familiar with the community action plan. It's the same thing every year. I've been in leadership in Fort Smith for 14 years as chief. We have two lines: one of them is the priority is drugs; the second is whatever; and the third. Every year has been the same thing, and you've got to sign off on it. Finally, I told them, "Don't come around anymore." Nothing ever comes to fruit anyways. You know, $47.6 million for an independent police force, and have no say on what happens in the community, is unbelievable and unacceptable. I feel very strongly about this.

Sure...

Thank you, Madam Chair. The corrections workplace assessment was a positive document. I want to commend the Minister and the Justice staff for acting on it very quickly. All the changes that happened in Fort Smith are all positive. People are very enthused, and I want to ensure that you pass that on to your staff. I think the way that it was handled, because I was the one who brought this whole thing up in the first place, and I think, when positive change happens and employees are now extremely happy, they actually went and gave a statement and felt safe with that. I think, when that happens...

Thank you, Madam Chair. I understand it's past Assemblies that made these kinds of discussions. I hope that future Assemblies do not make the same mistakes, especially when you're not dealing with companies that are from the Northwest Territories. We have to stress that northern ownership is the ultimate when it comes to public dollars. I think that, many times, it's easy to grandstand on certain buildings, and red carpets are rolled out for these people who are not from the North. When it's a northern company, we always have to cross the t's and dot the i's and everything else to have a foot...

For clarity, Madam Chair, the lease payment for the legacy building is in this budget. What is the yearly payment for the lease for the legacy building that we do not own anymore? Thank you, Madam Chair.

On page 251, also, is the lease for the monthly payment or yearly payment within that lease for Stanton, also? Thank you, Madam Chair.

Mr. Speaker, will the Minister consider creating a new seniors' housing strategy for the NWT Housing Corporation that does not discriminate against seniors based on income? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.