Kieron Testart

Thank you. So if you wanted -- if the government or this Assembly, indeed, wanted to expand legal aid service provision, how would we go about doing that? Because I understand that the commission is arm's length and independent in the services it provides and is overseen by an independent board but, obviously, if we make a political decision to provide that service and appropriate funding for it, the commission logically would have to provide it. But the details would be helpful, I guess, because I am not sure what we're supposed to do here if, indeed, we are making recommendations for...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. This is good news, of course. But I would imagine that the outreach that's being provided is a set number of hours to clients who attend clinics, but I will allow the witnesses to correct me if I am wrong. This is not representation at rental hearings rather this is advice provided through clinics. Is that accurate? Thank you.

Not on this topic, Mr. Chair. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Well, the community, including many people who are serving on town council and in the community wellness committee, were very clear that this was a gap in the community. And when I think of my experience with the sheriff's office, I know we were -- we had an officer down there when I was a sheriff, and it was very useful to the operations of the sheriff's office because it allowed the office to more effectively complete the role of the sheriff's office in the community, whether it was evictions, vehicle seizures, property seizures, process serving, court services. It was...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Well, I am glad the Premier's up to speed but near future isn't precise enough for the constituents who are raising these concerns. Can we get more clarity on when we can expect the resources to flow to implement these outstanding recommendations. It's the government's own report, Mr. Speaker, and I am not asking for a wish list here. This is what they committed to set out to do. So when is the near future under the Premier's assessment? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the final report was issued four years ago, so this is not like this came out yesterday and I am asking the Minister to hurry up. Will the Minister either implement these recommendations within the next -- within the next business plan or admit to the public that they're just not going to get done? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, this government must recognize the caregiver burden for families for adults who are experiencing disabilities is a systemic issue. Will the Minister of Health and Social Services expand the supported living model to private homes, opening access to supports, respite, and paid caregiver resources that are currently limited to designated providers only? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, it's always disappointing when we make recommendations that we can't afford because we should be just doing it. That should be with our top priority when we make them because why make them otherwise.

Mr. Speaker, what policy or formal mechanism exists to ensure individualized accommodation and access is ensured for persons with disabilities across departments and programs, so not just with health and social services but across the entire government. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, it took nearly a decade for the Government of the Northwest Territories to assess the services it provides to persons with disabilities, only to reveal significant failures in their design and delivery. Yet almost four years after this work accumulated in health and social services' landmark supported living review final report, only a handful of its 33 key recommendations have been meaningfully implemented.

Once you speak to families affected by these systemic failures, you will notice that these are not just service gaps but service canyons - fragmented disability and continuing...

Thank you. Well, I am not going to wind back Hansard, Mr. Speaker, but essentially the problem we find ourselves in is the Minister of health is saying we can't implement those recommendations until we get the advice of the sustainability unit on how we're going to fund it. So what I am asking is when is the advice -- it's not specific to this report, but I guess it's general to the entire system. But when is that advice coming? The Premier said near future. When is near future? Is it tomorrow? Is it next week? Is it the month after? When is near future? Thank you.