Kieron Testart

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Recently, the Minister spoke of new on-the-land healing programs that would address some of this backlog by providing more local options. There is around $5 million from the federal government to support this. This government itself has been budgeting $1.23 million for several years now.

With the eight contribution agreements that have been signed that the Minister spoke of recently in the House, how many real, actual programs that people can access to get these kind of services and avoid wait lists has this money created? Thank you.

You know, a non-urgent issue can become an urgent if it is not addressed. Waiting eight months, I think it is a pretty significant wait time for people who are looking for that kind of care. The Minister mentioned urgent or critical cases. Can he share the policy that governs a critical or urgent case?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, scores of youth athletes and their support teams are on their way to Red Deer, Alberta to compete in the Canada Winter Games. I hope the Members of this House will join me in wishing the team and coaching staff the very best as they head down to Red Deer to compete and represent the NWT.

Sport is an important means to bring people together, not only within a single community but as a chance for our youth to explore the world they will inherit. It gives them a chance to meet other like-minded young people who have dedicated their time, sweat, blood, and tears...

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to reply to the final operations and maintenance budget of the 18th Legislative Assembly. When this sitting of the House began earlier this month, I recognized the opportunity this budget represents to put the NWT economy on the right footing to face the challenges we all know are on the horizon. The diamond mines that are the real drivers of our economy are set to close far sooner than any one of us would like. Our aging workforce and persistent outmigration of skilled labour challenges our available labour supply while our cost of living continues to rise faster...

On that basis, then, the approved NWT Manufactured Products Policy says that a product that is from an approved manufacturer must be made a term of any contract that it applies to. Yet, on a recent request for tender, the form that was publicly issued said "whenever possible" it would be using NWT products. Can the Minister speak to this inconsistency between the policy and what is being issued on the forms from Infrastructure on procurement?

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak on the Business Incentive Policy, which states:

"The Government of the Northwest Territories is committed to encouraging local production as a foundation for the Northwest Territories economy and will, when purchasing goods, services or construction, provide an incentive in favour of NWT-manufactured products." Further, the Manufactured Products Policy has the stated objective to "encourage local production as a means to diversify the NWT economy; and foster and maintain the investment, jobs, and income produced by local manufacturing."

These policies are very...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I move that the chair rise and report progress.

What I heard is the Minister confirm that the policy still applies, whatever the language of the document says. That is a good thing because, in this case, there were three registered manufacturers, and the policy quite clearly says that they have preferential treatment in this case. Now, I will share the details of this case with the Minister, and he can look over it, but will he undertake to correct this deficiency between what forms are going out and what the policy clearly states, so that we can have certainty for our manufacturers and continue to support them?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, it has come to my attention that there is an apparent conflict in the Manufactured Products Policy that this government operates. There was a tender put out. It was very specifically applied to registered manufacturers under the policy, and it seems that certain details of the policy were not followed. I have a question for the Minister. Have there been any changes to the approved NWT Manufactured Products Policy in the past year? Thank you.

Before anyone assumes that this is a Yellowknife-based issue, it is not. The Norman Wells Chamber of Commerce has published a letter that is asking for the GNWT to allow fair market rent to be established by the market supply and demand and for the GNWT to base its programs around that through the Housing Corporation. Is that something the Minister is willing to do in the community of Norman Wells and in other regional centres?