R.J. Simpson

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And so the was decisions made in the previous government. I can't speak to those decisions, but I can say that, you know, as Minister of ECE I know I put a lot of jobs in Inuvik so, yes, I'm a big supporter of positions in communities and in the regions. And I'll say that it's both Members from Inuvik who have brought this to my attention, so it is definitely on my radar and something that I have initiated discussions with the department about. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And similar to the first question, I don't have that at my fingertips. I suspect that the priorities set by this Assembly may impact any timelines that do exist. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Unfortunately, I don't have that information at my fingertips. I'll be happy to get back to the Member. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I can tell you that when you're a Cabinet Minister, it's a four-year work week. So we're busy. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. No, we have no priorities as an Assembly yet. The choice was made by the 19 Members in this House to extend the priority setting exercise, and so we haven't even set those priorities yet. So I don't think it would be appropriate to task the Ministers with achieving something over the next four years without knowing what the priorities of the Assembly are. Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, I wish to advise Members that the Honourable Lucy Kuptana will be absent from the House today due to travel delays in her flights to Yellowknife. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. So I want to encourage everyone, including NGOs, to look to their insurance first. That's often faster than the government than many of these expenses are often eligible. But, you know, I come from Hay River. I've been dealing with constituents who have been working through this system for a number of years now. It is not fast. Everyone would like it to be faster. We're working through that. We're trying to get policies in place that will ensure that it is faster. So we are working on it, Mr. Speaker. I can assure you of that. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I also want to take a moment to thank my constituents and the people of Hay River. You know, we've had a tough few years in Hay River. It's almost surreal when you think about what has happened. And, you know, even though I'm in a new role now, I want my constituents to know that I will continue to work to address the issues that we're facing now and to prepare so that we don't have to face those issues again in the future. So that work will continue, and that's my commitment, Mr. Speaker.

I want to thank my family for the support they've given me. And I want to...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I will keep this brief. I think I am the last on the list, we have been going over three hours, so I will do my best to keep this tight.

I just want to say a few thank you's before we finally and mercifully put the 19th Assembly out of its misery. Better late than never, Mr. Speaker. And I am just joking. I think that today has shown that despite a lot of the issues that, maybe even the public have seen over the years with some of the, you know, way that we interact with each other that this group, while maybe not as cohesive as it could be, everyone is working towards...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And so I don't have any specific programs for former students of Chief Jimmy Bruneau that I can point to. But there's definitely a recognition in the Northwest Territories of the effects of colonization and residential school and just the Western ideologies that underpin, you know, the Northwest Territories. And so everything that this government does or tries to do has a focus on reconciliation and supporting the residents who were impacted by things like residential school. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.