Rocky Simpson

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Yeah, one of the issues, I guess, well after the flooding is that, you know, location of land that was being used for agriculture. And so some of the people actually are looking for different areas to secure so they can continue. I guess one of the issues is going through the consultation with the Indigenous groups. So is your department, I guess, working with Lands to try and identify and maybe secure lands for people who want to continue farming that are outside of the flood zone? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. So are we looking, I guess, at the federal government programs to, I guess, to advance the revitalization strategy more so than use internal funds? Thank you.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. This last question is selfserving. Will the Minister commit to a fish fry during the opening of the fish plant in Hay River? Thank you.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. Can the Minister tell me if the CFI certification process has been completed or underway? Thank you.

Thank you, Madam. Speaker. Madam Speaker, I rise here today to reply to the last tabled budget of this 19th Assembly. I have to ask myself, what in the three plus years have we accomplished for those people who are struggling with addictions, mental health, unemployment, high cost of living, education, and homelessness as it is support in these areas where a difference can be made in one's life.

At the start of, and during my time here, I was not naive in thinking this government would provide everyone with everything they ever wanted. It was my intent first and foremost to provide residents...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. One area that is of interest to me, and there's a few of them, buildings I guess, around the territories is the makerspaces. And it would be nice to see some of that rolled out into some of the other regional centers and maybe, to some extent, to the smaller communities as well. Is there any thought, I guess, or has there been any thought in how to address that and promote that from the department's side? Thank you.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. You know, I understand that we have like, we have this policy already in place. We have all these programs in place. And I guess I ask myself why haven't we been able to meet that target? And, you know, I look at one of the areas that I you know, I think that hasn't been mentioned is the lack of accountability of DMs and management. Like, they are the ones there that have to make sure that those policies are being followed. And when I talk to people, I don't think that's happening. But anyways, Madam Speaker, residents are concerned that the notice of meetings in...

Thank you, Madam Speaker. Madam Speaker, I've been getting a number of calls like this lately just because of the meetings that are happening in the communities, and people are very concerned. You know, what we seem to be doing is pitting Indigenous people against Indigenous people and others as well.

So, Madam Speaker, will the Minister confirm the rationale and the criteria used to support the need for this review and potential replacement of the current policy with two distinct policies, being the Indigenous employment policy and employment equity policy, when the whole intent is to increase...

Thank you, Madam Speaker. Madam Speaker, prior to 1989, this government recognized the inequity with respect to Indigenous representation in the GNWT public sector. In an attempt to address that inequity, the government of the day drafted the affirmative action policy. It was meant to place Indigenous people into public sector workforce. Madam Speaker, thirty plus years later we are still talking affirmative action and saying how it has not worked.

Madam Speaker, this government committed to a review of the affirmative action policy and in doing so set up the advisory committee on diversity and...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Yeah, and that's good to hear that at least you're looking at ways to kind of reduce that cost and get it within budget because I know in Hay River there are a number of people with compromised roofs on their houses and with that, you know, they've been tarped for a couple years, two or three years, and they've been and there's been ongoing damage because of water and that as well which then, you know, it's the insulation on the inside, it's the electrical, and then the whole issue just and damage gets more costly. So, you know, the quicker we can actually deal with...