Kieron Testart

I know that the Minister is fond of saying, "Nothing for us without us." How are students involved in this process, and what are the feedback mechanisms that either the school boards, or the department has working in conjunction with the school boards, and the district education authorities, to ensure that students have an ability to provide feedback to these materials and so that our policies and our supports to families and our kids are informed by young people's own experiences with the Internet and other material?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have risen on the floor of this House to address the concerns of parents around the safety for their children in online environments. I am wondering if the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment can tell me what efforts the department has undertaken to ensure parents are aware of the risks and have the appropriate tools to respond to any concerns. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you to the Minister. That is encouraging. Can the Minister give direction to his department to provide at least an active offer or something public-facing on a website to let other people know, if they are interested or have a proposal, that they can go to the Department of Finance for assistance with Ottawa?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. There was a recent proposal brought to Yellowknife City Council for establishing a cannabis production facility here in Yellowknife. Part of that proposal is 10 to 12 full-time jobs, 15 to 25 part-time jobs, and the confidence that this would be a viable way to solve some of our supply issues in the Northwest Territories for legal cannabis and also to be competitive in pricing.

There is some concern that was raised at those meetings by councillors that this initiative might require support from the GNWT, support that might not be forthcoming. I was wondering if the...

Mr. Speaker, our children's safety is always a concern for parents, especially when it comes to their interactions on social media. The next generation is growing up in a rapidly-changing technological environment, and although this has the possibility of reward and greater individual potential, not everyone or everything online will have your best interests in mind.

News of the "Momo Challenge" has been making the rounds, reportedly an online phenomenon where people, mainly children, are sent disturbing images on social media and are told to act out until a point of self-harm. Thankfully, this...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I am not going to attempt to repeat what some other Members have said, only to say that, behind the scenes, when the standing committee is working on developing some of these pieces of legislation, oftentimes it is a back-and-forth process, where bills are sent in draft form only to be returned and worked on again. I can think of some successful examples of that; the Mineral Resources Act, the Petroleum Resources Act, bills before this House. Those went through that kind of collaborative effort. This bill did not.

The quality of the legislation is a very important...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Similar to the last, this is a long-standing issue that has only been partially completed in previous responses to these findings. It is crucial that we have a better understanding of how many cases an individual child protection worker should be undertaking and what capacity looks like in a very high-stress, demanding job and what the supports look like, as well. We can't just get to the resourcing question without identifying a standard for caseload.

This is such a crucial, long-standing issue that the committee has placed a firm date in this recommendation. The...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I move that this Assembly recommends that the Department of Health and Social Services appear before the appropriate standing committee twice yearly to report on its compliance with Child and Family Services Act and its progress on its Quality Improvement Plan. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. This is kind of a long-standing issue that has been raised by previous reviews of child and family services. The Child Welfare League was asked to do some work on this in the past, after the last Auditor General report. It stubbornly remains a stumbling block to really understanding how to solve some of the deficiencies within the provision of child and family services. The 2019-2020 budget, there is $3.5 million additional. My concern at the time and it continues to be a concern is: we know that money can be used, but we don't know how effective it will be.

I have heard...

Thank you, Mr. Chair, I move that this Assembly recommends that the Department of Health and Social Services act immediately to ensure that all gaps in screenings and reviews identified by the Office of the Auditor General, including screening for guardianship agreements and foster homes, are addressed, and that it advise the committee when this is completed.

Thank you, Mr. Chair.