Jackson Lafferty

Masi, Madam Chair. [Translation] Today, we know this is a big issue. We know for a fact it has been an ongoing issue for a very long time, and now it's in front of us. All of us today, all of the Ministers and MLAs, have spoken, and some support it. Some do not support it. Right now, the federal government had money there. We see $2.5 million. That is a lot of money that we are looking at, seeing it today, and we see for a fact, in the communities, we know we need training in all communities and departments, and also we know that we have concerns about the caribou because we know, when the...

As it stands, obviously, we would like to follow what the Chief Medical Officer recommends, and I understand that she has stated that she doesn't have the authority to stop this from happening, people coming from the South. It is this government that is responsible, and we have had experience with PDAC participants who came back and there are some issues. This is becoming a pandemic, as it has been called. We have people coming in from the South. We don't know where they have been, but they are it bringing into the Northwest Territories. Not only the Northwest Territories, but small and...

Masi, Mr. Speaker. I am glad the Minister is recognizing the importance of language and cultural preservation. It should be. I fully support a stand-alone department. My final question, basically, is: we do have interpreters here in our booths, as you know, with so many years of experience. Most of them are on the verge of retirement. I would like to know if there is a plan in place, either now or if the department is working on one, that can be provided to me. In the next five years, next 10 years, how is that going to look? We have valuable services here. They are going to be retiring sooner...

[Translation] When we are speaking in our language, without the interpreters, if we don't use our language, we will lose our language. I would like to ask the Minister at this time [Translation ends] [microphone turned off] ...partnerships in the past over the years, even through the Language Bureau back in 1990s, what is the responsibility of Indigenous governments or organizations on the language interpreter training? I understand that there are set allocated funds to these groups. Are there set targets on an annual basis, five-year, 10-year plan, to produce these qualified interpreters from...

Mr. Speaker, I did have questions for the Premier, so if you could put me back on the list. Masi.

Masi, Mr. Speaker. My final question, obviously, pertains to the process. When I spoke to our MP, Michael McLeod, a couple of months back, he was also asking about the proposal, the bridge, the Frank Channel Bridge, if it was submitted. I just want to ask the Minister of Finance if there was a submission made for the Frank Channel Bridge with the federal government, the corridor funding. If I can get some sort of correspondence pertaining to that, Mr. Speaker, I would greatly appreciate it. Masi.

That leads to my next question about being transparent. I want to see for myself if this Minister's department has given sufficient weight to the Frank Channel Bridge replacement project. With this in mind, could the Minister of Finance, working with her colleague, the Minister of Infrastructure, please provide historical data comparing her department's submissions, milestones, application timelines, intergovernmental meetings, relating to the Frank Channel Bridge and the Slave Geological Transportation Corridor.

Masi, Mr. Speaker, I'll do it for a third time. Mr. Speaker, last August 14, the territorial government announced that it had secured a $30 million contribution from the federal government's National Trade Corridor Fund. This contribution coupled with a corresponding $10 million from GNWT to fund an environmental assessment and planning for the Slave Geological Transportation Corridor. The planning component of $40 million investment will, among other things, bring the first section of corridor to a "shovel-ready" state. Mr. Speaker, that section is running from the end of our existing Highway...

Madam Chair, just on the SAFE program, the CARE program, seniors aging in place retrofit and repairs, we've identified the 2020 main estimates. I'm just curious, the program itself, is it all income-tested, household income? The reason I'm asking is there were questions on that with ECE, I believe. There is a seniors fuel subsidy, and we only income-test the heads of households; not family members living with them, but just the two heads of households. Have we considered that for these programs? I know there are some people living in the community who don't qualify because their household...

Obviously, I would like to see some sort of correspondence between the federal government and the territorial government. There has been a lot of discussion on this subject, even from previous governments until today. I am asking the Minister of Finance to table this in the House, her department's, and also the Minister of Infrastructure's department, most recent proposal for federal, national, trade corridor funding respecting the Frank Channel Bridge replacement project.