Kieron Testart

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Well, Mr. Speaker, I mean, this problem is seemingly getting worse by the day. There's been a number of very serious child and family services audits that have revealed serious defects in the system. Can the Minister comment on the implementation of audit recommendations and if the department has successfully responded to all of the past three audits of the auditor general to fix the child and family services system. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. New year, new budget, same problems. Here we go again.

Mr. Speaker, we are in a moment, and it is a moment of unprecedented change in the world that we once knew. We have heard our Prime Minister talk about this. We've heard our Premier talk about this. We've heard the Finance Minister talk about this earlier today. And we just heard the chair of the Standing Committee on Accountability and Oversight talk about it as well. And it is beholden on all governments in Canada to move to meet this moment but, in particular, this one, because the systems that we've always relied...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Well, if there wasn't an MOU and I asked the Minister how are you supporting coordinating project development in the Northwest Territories with Indigenous governments, I think she would have given me the same answer. So my question specifically is what difference does this MOU make in terms of, like, better supporting these projects? And what are the practical effects of the MOU on our economy for these projects? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, so one of the biggest concerns is when foster parents, in particular, are having issues and feel like decisions are not being made in the best interests of the children under their care, that they are -- their homes are shut down, they're shut out of the system. What ask the Minister -- what does the Minister recommend those foster families do in those concerns? How do they have their concerns raised so we can ensure the best interests of the child are actually being followed and not some other policy that they're not even allowed to see? So how do we...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, as I said in my Member's statement, there's a real need for a child and youth advocate in the Northwest Territories. I'm hearing from foster parents and biological parents in the system that in many cases there's a revolving door of social workers. Some of the foster families have four social workers in one year. Some have no contact with the kids' social worker for an entire year. They feel like they have been set up for failure, wrong information given, miscommunication. It's always their fault, Mr. Speaker, and when they complain their homes get shut...

Mr. Speaker, in the Northwest Territories, the child and family services system holds extraordinary power over children in care with no real independent oversight. Every choice made affects a child's life, but there's no formal review process. And since young children cannot advocate for themselves, they need someone to speak up on their behalf.

As MLAs, we are meant to serve as advocates when systems are failing Northerners yet even we are limited when it comes to child and family services cases. Because health and social services is the legal guardian of these children, it alone decides...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And the pace is what worries me. Plans within plans within plans; it does not sound like we're getting anywhere very quickly. So will the Minister -- can the Minister reassure me and Northerners that that plan and the necessary investments in that airport will be done by the time this money starts rolling out? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, another component of this new defence investment is the Inuvik airport but, of course, the Yellowknife airport as well. The Yellowknife airport has its own revolving fund and, you know, last year saw over 618,000 passengers. It's time that it got some real investment. The revolving fund isn't moving quick enough to invest in the needs, and it's certainly not moving quick enough to invest in the needs of $10 billion that is going to revitalise the economy, create jobs and growth. Will the Minister of Infrastructure commit to investing more funding into the...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And, you know, there's a lot of attention on this obviously because our economy is in poor shape. Mr. Speaker, it's good that this procurement process is going to let other private sector make themselves prepared for this money, but is the government prepared? So a lot of this is about developing new infrastructure, airport hangars, all that kind of stuff. We need land, we need permitting, we need all these things done. Is this government prepared with those steps to support the private sector, support DND, and make sure this money arrives on time and revitalizes this...

Mr. Speaker, the world today is very different from when we took office two years ago. Our once stalwart ally and partner, the United States, continues to violently dismantle the prosperity and security we once built together. Last month, Prime Minister Carney captured this moment clearly in his address at Davos. We are in the midst of a rupture, not a transition.

As Northerners, instability has long been our reality. We are all familiar with the instability of climate change as the North warms three to four times faster than the rest of the world. Our permafrost is thawing, sea ice melting...