Rylund Johnson

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I am very happy to hear that, and I'm sure all of the people moving in tomorrow are even happier. Great news.

I guess my question, in a bit more serious tone though, is that this has taken a couple of years. We still haven't, on the public record, figured out exactly what happened. I know there were some contractor disputes. There were some inspection issues. But do we have a figure now about what all of this cost us in extra dollars? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you. Is there any federal money for this type of thing? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The last few months of a session are a series of mixed emotions. Projects you've been yelling about for years all of a sudden finish and you find yourself sighing in relief but also wondering why was that so hard? And then, Mr. Speaker, projects that you were really hoping would get done, well it turns out they're not going to get done and another Assembly will have to yell about them for more years. And, Mr. Speaker, there's one project above all that I would like to see completed before I leave this session, not removing Walmart from BIP or opening the DMV on Saturday...

Thank you, Madam Chair. I had a few questions about the previous line item. I guess the $1.6 million for the Fort Smith Territorial Fire Centre, I believe this is the first time that the Legislative Assembly is approving any money for this project, which is exciting news. I remember we all went and got a tour of the old fire centre but I guess I just have some basic questions. Do we have a cost estimate of what a new territorial fire centre will cost us? Thank you.

Yeah, thank you, Madam Chair. I guess would we be able to get a list of the projects that are currently in the queue here? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As committee has been dealing with its UNDRIP legislation, I think it's fair to say there are some fairly high expectations about what the government is willing to change and there are some fairly tall asks being made of the government, and I think it is in everyone's interest that the GNWT be transparent about what it is and isn't willing to do. The GNWT, in that legislation, commits that Indigenous rights are not frozen in time; they are capable of evolution and growth. We have heard that if that is true, then cede and surrender language in agreements is not...

No further questions. Thank you.

Yeah, thank you, Mr. Speaker. You know, unfortunately, this is an area where, you know, doing a lot doesn't really count until it's signed and the ink is dry. It's unfortunate. We've been doing a lot for 20 years. I know many negotiators who have poured their entire careers into this, and I'm not you know, I don't want to take away from their work. But it's tough work. I guess, you know, if this is the path we're on where we have three draft agreements, maybe one in the life of this Assembly. I'm wondering if the Premier has any kind of direction on how we can speed this up, or is it just the...

Yeah, thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'm glad to hear that. You know, I think we all know there's a lack of trust and there's still a narrative of the government going up and down the valley, and you know, putting those cede and surrender clauses in, and I think it would be a symbolic win to get them out and to show that we are willing to move on.

We've also heard that for truly free and prior informed consent to exist, perhaps the current regulatory system, although, you know, a great madeinthe North solution, is not one truly built on consent. There is a number of things in agreements where GNWT or...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Committee has recently been travelling on the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People legislation, and we've been getting a lot of feedback, a lot of feedback that I think many people in this territory have heard for years. But I have a growing concern that this government is kind of blurring the lines of truth and adopting symbolic statements that perhaps they don't fully need.

In that legislation, for example, it says the GNWT rejects all form of colonialism. Certainly a lofty goal but we heard that the GNWT is a colonial government; it is not a valid...