Katrina Nokleby

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Just for clarification, you can't have an overrun if you haven't started the project yet. So I think calling it an "overrun" is not a legit way to phrase it.

So now I hear that the Minister needs to meet with the contractor, or the JV, to get these answers, yet it's my understanding that their proposal was submitted to the department on February 7th. It's now March 31st. So I'm kind of confused if this is a timesensitive winter work that needs to be done, why the Minister hasn't directed her department to meet with the JV and the contractors sooner than now. Thank you.

In favour.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker; I'll try to keep mine a little bit shorter.

I'd like to also say thank you and congratulations to everybody that has graduated. I think that's awesome. And the Grand Chief as well, welcome. But I'd also like to acknowledge my constituent Kate Reid, who works for ENR and is here because one of her projects is being tabled today and she wanted to see it in action. So thank you, Mr. Speaker. Welcome.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I just want to say that I support my colleague, and I know that it's a difficult conversation for her.

I also support this motion and the use of the word "crisis" and the need to develop the wholeofgovernment approach. It was my to my absolute shock, as I started this work, that it is 90 percent Indigenous children and youth that are in care and to me that is just reprehensible and disgusting. So I will be voting for this, and I hope as well that my colleagues do too. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I'm not going to spend any time here today rehashing the items that are in the budget and what aren't. I've sort of sat down to formulate my thoughts over the last week or so and really thought my best bet would be to get up to speak from my heart because that is where I am what I am using to make my decision.

One thing that I have really learned over the last three years now in this role or almost three years is that we are only as strong as our weakest community and that until we start to build up the small communities and all of our residents in need...

In favour.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, Friday marks the end of two years under a public health emergency in the NWT. As I reflect on this time, I'm struck by how much life and our territory has changed. COVID shifted focus away from the failing economy towards our fragile health care system and the mental health challenges of our residents. It has been a time of great change and now we must use what we have learned to create meaningful change for our territory and kickstart our economy once again.

As global stability worsens, interest increases among developed nations to source ethically mined...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I won't be able to express myself as eloquently as my colleague did and I appreciate her words, and I think they very much capture the spirit of the work and how we progressed.

I think for myself, when I moved to this side of the House and I joined the social development committee, it was one that I felt was outside of my wheelhouse and has definitely been my steepest learning curve on this side of the House.

As a person without children myself, it was a whole new area to me, and I also wanted to express my thanks to those that shared with me and shared their experiences...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The PSE Act creates the structure for Post-Secondary education in the NWT and rules Post-Secondary education institutions to support the growth of the territorial Post-Secondary education system. This legislation will become operative once regulations are in place. Post-Secondary education includes universities, colleges and trade and vocational schools.

Aurora College welcomed Bill 39 as the critical piece in transitioning to a polytechnic university. The College is pleased that the changes proposed in Bill 39 do not impact the relationships as they develop according to...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It's my day to be on oral questions, I guess.

With the Minister's comments around sorry, my questions are for the Minister of Infrastructure continuing along this line.

With the comments about there being a mutual conversation that needs to be had, that worries me, Mr. Speaker, because we don't have a lot of capacity in some of our areas to do this type of work, and I'm worried that the department is not going to be able to negotiate with this contractor in good faith in order to get this work done.

Can the Minister speak to what the contingency plan is should they not...