Kieron Testart

Thank you. So when we have things like labour market supplements or anything that falls kind of outside of collective agreement but represents additional pay or for nursing or incentives for nursing or doctors or any medical professionals, is that this activity as well; would they cover that? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the change and support it, just to be clear, but, Mr. Speaker, there are other people of groups that are similarly disadvantaged or similarly of minority status, including people with disabilities. The disabilities council has come out and made it clear that they do not think this is a good move to make for the community. So why can we not include other protected minority groups under the Constitution in the affirmative action policy -- or in the priority action policy? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Finance has announced that there are new changes to the Indigenous employment -- or Indigenous recruitment policy -- thank you -- which replaces the affirmative action policy. We're going to be bringing back P1s essentially and allow Indigenous Northerners to have priority status. Before that wasn't possible because of the Constitution. Has the Constitution changed? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, I guess I'm confused. This seems to be new information. Was there ever a plan that Liwego'ati would not be used or that Stanton Legacy would not be used as part of a health care campus? My understanding is there was always a component of that in the initial RFP that went out for the rebuild was to demo this building for other uses and that was -- so was there some other purpose intended for Stanton Legacy before it became the Liwego'ati Building? Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, perception is everything. How we view the world around us determines how we live our lives. Our perception of the challenges and opportunities we face every day informs our actions and thus plays a major role in each situation's outcome. Many Northerners face challenges in which often the last resort they approach the GNWT for solutions. In tough times, there's already a feeling of desperation so the perception that these services are difficult to access can be a serious detriment to whether or not a service actually reaches the person it's intended for.

Unfortunately, the often...

Thank you, Madam Chair. I appreciate that coming from the Minister. Can the Minister share the engagement schedule with me and any other pertinent details around these consultations with staff. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Yes, I would be happy to talk tax policy with the Minister of Finance. I am a big fan of how we can find ways to change our tax policy to incentivize investment in the Northwest Territories, to grow the financial services sector, and to keep people in the North. So if she's willing to have that conversation -- I mean, I think -- let me make it a direct question.

Is the Minister willing to look at this as part of her sustainability efforts and her department's efforts to raise revenue -- or sorry, well -- yeah, maybe -- well, yeah, let's say, like, as part of revenue...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I mean, that's a lot to cram into two days but it is better news than they've had before, so I look forward to speaking to them and see if that works.

The other thing that's not being provided is inclusive childcare for kids with special needs and learning disabilities. There's no funding available to them. I've spoken to the Minister about the SKIP program; it doesn't apply to day homes. They can't hire their own staff. They're sole operators. So how are we providing care for inclusive early childcare and education for these kids? Because they need it. They have doctors...

Great. Well, I guess we could talk about it a bit more, but it's a very good benefit. You know, like, this is -- yeah, I would encourage the Minister to look at ways to increase it. These things are great. They -- you know, we're -- they -- they're going to benefit people staying in the North, in -- you know, taking the edge off the cost of living, and, you know, in particular in communities, smaller communities as well, that's money that's going in to help people pay for groceries, for school lunches, all that stuff. And this seems like a no-brainer to me because it's a really easy way to get...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, as a parent with young children, daycare is very important in my life, very important for many Northerners. In speaking with day home providers, which are their own industry, it seems like there's some pretty significant issues that are challenging their ability to operate. I've spoken with the Minister about this. I'm hoping she can give some answers to the public now. There seems to be a dispute around pay. Day home operators maintain, at least the ones I've been speaking to, that they make less than minimum wage grid that is being developed for centre...