R.J. Simpson

Yes. Thank you.

Thank you. So this is $800,000 a year for the next few years, and so it's not a lot of money to put a lot of boots on the ground per se. One of the other items I failed to mention that this is funding is a safety analyst position and -- yes, in this division, I guess. And so that's going to help identify where we could put more resources or how we can better utilize our resources.

I'll note that the crime reduction unit, you know, the Member said it's to go after the big fish, I wouldn't necessarily say we have any big fish in the territory when it comes to organized crime. We get a lot of the...

Thank you. And so the primary health care reform is the responsibility of health and social services. The department, they are leading that work, and we are here to support that work. We're all here to support each other. And so the work that is being done by this unit can inform that work.

I'll note that, you know, there -- I think there might be a perception, and I hope it's not coming from me because I've never said this, but the idea of this unit is to not just find what we can cut and save some money. It is to make the system sustainable. As the Member mentioned in his latter comments...

I'll pass it to deputy minister. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And I listened to what Premier Ford has to say sometimes, and I wish I was able to say a lot of those same things, but the fact is we don't have that type of economy. We don't have those types of direct exports to the United States to be able to make those types of threats. We're not currently exporting any critical minerals to the United States, and so we're in a much different position. That being said, I'm confident that as Canadians we can come together, and we can both support Canadian businesses and ensure that the Americans are feeling the negative impacts of...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. we have all heard the news that the President of the United States has decided to implement tariffs on Canada and Mexico. Prime Minister Trudeau has stated that he has initiated counter tariffs on our side of the border and with additional counter tariffs coming in a few weeks, depending on how things go. For our part here in the Northwest Territories, we've directed the NWT Liquor and Cannabis Commission to cease all procurement of American products. We have directed the department to refrain from procuring anything from American companies wherever possible. We're...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Yes, we've had almost weekly conversations, all the Premiers and the Prime Minister. I actually had to leave the call early to come down to the House today, so we were just meeting. And I don't think there's a lot of nuance in what the President has to say about annexing Canada. I think if you read what he's saying and if you listen to what he says, it sounds like he's serious about it. And I think that people across Canada in all levels of government now realize that, and we need to do what we can to ensure that, you know, we stay united and we stay strong economically...

The position of principal secretary is currently vacant, and as we move forward with this new arrangement, we will see how things go and what the future holds. I can't say one way or another what the future of the principal secretary position is. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. So in the past, there have been attempts at integrating services in the GNWT, and they haven't been successful, and so a few years ago the GNWT went out and they worked with a contractor to look at those efforts and a path forward, and what the recommendation was and, you know, was -- I think it was widely accepted among those in government who were working on this initiative as well was that instead of trying to integrate everything at once, well, they start with a specific area and build from there. And so homelessness was that area. You know, at the time it was a, you...

Thank you. And so, you know, I'm -- we're very willing to and we do engage those types of services as and when required in Ottawa, and I understand what the Member is saying that, you know, a lot of the work in Ottawa -- to get things done in Ottawa, sometimes you need to go out for supper with people, you need to, you know, hang out in the crowd and hear what people are talking about and get insight into, you know, what Ministers' offices you need to talk or what person you need to contact or where the money might be. And so that type of work, you know, we do work with folks in Ottawa to get...