Caitlin Cleveland

Mr. Speaker, today is 15 days after the last breath was pressed out of George Floyd while a police officer knelt on his neck for nine minutes. In empathy for his family and all who are suffering, I ask this House to show compassion and join me in nine seconds of silence.

Mr. Speaker, as I speak, Yellowknifers march down our main streets to declare unequivocally that Black lives matter. I struggle with my absence, and I struggle that it will be mistaken as silence, the silence of complicity. This world suffers two pandemics simultaneously: COVID-19 and racism. Black people have suffered from...

Thank you very much, Madam Chair. Is there an expected deadline for this school to be complete and open? Thank you.

Thank you very much, Madam Chair. I agree with the Minister that any surplus should be spent to the best of a school board's ability on education. It must be difficult for school boards to plan when it's on a case-by-case basis. I guess: how does ECE do its best to ensure that that money is being distributed equitably throughout schools in the Northwest Territories that may not be a GNWT asset? Thank you.

Thank you very much, Madam Chair. Would this be the appropriate place to ask specifically about things contained under the early childhood and schools services section?

Mr. Speaker, I wish to table a document titled "White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack," by Peggy McIntosh. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

A lot of Northerners like to travel south during the summer. It's what we do. Sometimes, it's to visit family. Sometimes, people just need to get away for a little bit. I'm wondering if it's the intent of this government to encourage as many NWT residents as possible to stay in the NWT for the summer in order to reduce people's exposure to COVID-19 in southern Canada and, if so, what the GNWT is doing to encourage NWT residents to stay home.

Thank you very much, Madam Chair. I am just wondering why we need a separate system for mental health and why we can't just use the electronic systems that we currently use for people of the Northwest Territories when they go to seek advice or medical assistance from their physicians. Thank you.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. The length of the pandemic today -- sorry. I'm going to start this over because I'm going to trip all over my words, and I'm just going to cut right to the point to allow for my colleagues to ask their questions. Mr. Speaker, what I would like to know is: how is the Minister working with the Chief Public Health Officer in order to balance the advice of the Chief Public Health Officer with the other needs and requirements of the people of the Northwest Territories? Thank you.

I will take that, thank you. In March, the GNWT put together an economic relief package that offered NWT businesses fee and loan deferrals. At that point, the GNWT did not know the extent of the impact of COVID-19. We can now see the devastating impact the lockdown is having on the global economy. Can the Minister confirm if the GNWT intends to extend the measures offered in the economic relief packages beyond the original timelines?

That's great news. I'm sure many businesses will be happy to hear that today. We are now almost three months from when we went into the COVID lockdown. Our territory has been spared the health effects of COVID-19 because of the swift and aggressive decision-making of the Department of Health and Social Services. However, while our people are not ailing, our economy definitely is. The NWT has suffered the worst fall in GDP from 2019, and I'm sure that number will continue to show this year. Has the Cabinet begun to discuss how to balance our healthcare needs with the economic needs of our...