Julie Green

What I want to confirm is: is this a budget question? Is there a cost involved that the Member is seeking?

Yes. Thank you, Madam Chair: Mr. Bruce Cooper, the deputy minister of Health and Social Services, and Ms. Jeannie Mathison, the director of finance. Thank you.

Thank you. The Cabinet had a bilateral meeting with the Metis Nation in January, and this was an item on the agenda. Thank you.

Thank you. I can make that commitment.

Thank you, Madam Chair. This is another question for Mr. Elkin. Thank you.

Until these negotiations are complete and an agreement is reached, we are the service provider at the Department of Health and Social Services through our health authorities, including the Tlicho Community Services Agency. When Indigenous governments approach us to begin discussions about negotiations, we are very happy to provide them with a range of options which could be them creating and implementing their own law if they have the capacity to do it, or it could be a collaborative arrangement between the GNWT and the Indigenous governments.

To reiterate, at the time that the bill came into...

Yes. Thank you. I am not aware of anything going on with respect to that. Deputy Minister?

Thank you, Madam Chair. I'd like to refer this question to Mr. Elkin.

Thank you. I don't have an end date for the COVID secretariat, so I am not sure that it will be wrapped up this fall. In terms of whether this lease has to be paid through until the end of March, I will ask Ms. Mathison to answer that.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and I thank the Member for highlighting this area. The department is very supportive of the federal bill, and we are working to ensure that it is rolled out successfully in the NWT. When the act came into force in January of 2020, my predecessor sent a letter offering briefing and discussion to all Indigenous governments. When I became the Minister, I repeated that offer, and I have raised it at every bilateral conversation that I've attended since I became Minister. The key to this piece of legislation is that the conversation has to be initiated by the Indigenous...