Since you brought up the intern positions, you know, they are training positions. I know at one time, and I've said it a few times before, there was a lot of training position within the government, and I know some of those intern or trainee, they move up, they were promoted. I just want -- will they be bringing back some of these training positions so that we focus on our people in our regions? Is there any other plan in place to train more people from the regions? Thank you.
Okay, thank you. I will go to the Minister.
Thank you very much, Mr. Chair. So, Mr. Chair, industry, tourism and investment also uses the Indigenous career gateway program which is essentially training positions where the department can gain access to training funds for an employee through that program, and ITI always looks to do that first and foremost with any hiring opportunities. Thank you.
Thank you. I will go to the Member from Monfwi.
Can the Minister explain to us why with the minerals and petroleum resources, the regional allocation, headquarters have more jobs in all the other regions except for Delta? There's no positions there identified. Thank you.
Thank you. I will go to the Minister.
Thank you very much, Mr. Chair. So we have our regional superintendents, and so the regional offices that support each region are -- those positions are found there. Within this division specifically, it's a regulatory division, and so the staff of this division end up serving the entire Northwest Territories. Thank you.
Okay, thank you. I will go to the Member from Monfwi.
Yeah, they serve all of the Northwest Territories headquarters. I think we can be more efficient, more effective, if we saw some of these headquarters positions in other regions rather than just in the headquarters. Because right now, now is the time where we are advocating for more jobs to be transferred and/or created especially with the mine closure and, you know, with the minerals and petroleum resources, they are all in the regions outside of Yellowknife. So will the Minister commit to possibly transferring some of these headquarters positions to the region so that they are building, you know -- because they are always talking about collaborations. And this is a good time to do that. So I just wanted to ask the Minister. Thank you.
Okay, thank you. I will go to the Minister.
Waiting for -- oh, there we go. Thank you, Mr. Chair. So, Mr. Chair, new jobs, we always ask if they can be regionally located, and then in addition to that, we ensure that we are also using policies, for example, the remote work policy so that if somebody wants to apply for a job from another community and live in their home community and not relocate for it, that we are always using the policies that we have available to us. Thank you.
Okay, thank you. I will go to the Member from Monfwi.
Well, the remote work policy, that's -- whoever gets that job, it's still considered headquarter. It's not the regional. What I want to see is more jobs being transferred to the region, decentralizing. I know then that our regions will be advocated. We know that there's going to be more activities happening. But if everything is out of Yellowknife, who's going to be communicating with who? And there's no communication if it's all in Yellowknife. So I want to ask the Minister, in the near future, hopefully within the next fiscal year, or current -- or in the upcoming fiscal year, that they're going to be focusing on decentralizing jobs to the smaller communities, where we need more jobs. Thank you.
Okay, thank you. I will go to the Minister.
Thank you very much, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, certainly when looking at, you know, the trajectory of how a lot of these roles are moving, a lot of -- we've got a number of secondments right now from the Department of Industry, Tourism and Investment to Indigenous governments and to hamlets, and so we've taken staff members out of headquarters and put them in with Indigenous governments and specifically staff that Indigenous governments have specifically requested because they have a built and trusted relationship with those staff members. Some of them are also part of their Members that they wanted to be able to employ within their Indigenous governments. And so part of the conversations that are happening is how do we ensure that we are supporting Indigenous governments and transitioning some of these roles in this shared kind of co-managed world over to Indigenous governments or over to, you know, for example, land and water boards and where these positions need to be, and not necessarily feeling like they all need to be within the GNWT. Thank you.
Okay, thank you. In terms of time, was there any other questions? We've got one more pressing question. Okay. One more question.
(audio) I know there's a lot of transfer assignments, and especially with Tlicho, I think they have, like, over 10. I think because of that I strongly believe that many of these transfer assignments, I -- it's probably from Yellowknife positions, headquarter positions, and/or North Slave, the one that they -- now's the time to transfer some of these jobs to the small communities where -- it's not just -- because eventually those people that are in that job, they're going to get old. They're going to retire. And, you know, we need to -- we need to start focusing on the younger generations where -- for career development. But if we keep all of the jobs in Yellowknife, we won't know -- the young people won't know what kind of jobs that exist within the GNWT. Thank you.
Okay, thank you. We're going to go to the Minister.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. I hear the Member and absolutely appreciate her comments as these decisions continue to unfold. And in all of the decisions that -- the staffing decisions that have been made here, we've indicated a desire to see it respected, where even if it's a headquarters position, that if somebody applies on the job and wants to use the remote work policy, that they can stay in their home community. And so really making sure that we're encouraging people to apply on these jobs is critically important, and them knowing that they can use the remote work policy if the job falls within that criteria is really important. Thank you.
Thank you. I am going to move on before we shut down in five minutes here. Please turn to page 241.
Industry, tourism and investment, minerals and petroleum resources, $17,166,000. Does committee agree?
Agreed.
Okay, thank you. Because of time, I am going to stop here and I am going to go to the Member from Inuvik Boot Lake.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, I move the Chair rise and report progress.
Thank you. There's a motion on the floor to report progress. The motion is in order and non-debatable. All those in favour? All those opposed? Motion carried.
---Carried
Member from Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh.
Mr. Speaker, your committee has been considering considering Bill 33, Bill 35, and Tabled Document 448-20(1), and I would like to report that Bills 33 and 35 are ready for third reading. And then, Mr. Speaker, I move that the report of the Committee of the Whole be concurred with. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member from Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh. Can I have a seconder? Yellowknife North. All those in favour? All those opposed? All those abstaining? Unanimous.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Standing Committee on Accountability and Oversight will meet at the rise of House.
Orders of the day for Wednesday, February 25th, 2026, at 1:30 p.m.
Prayer or Reflection
Ministers’ Statements
Members’ Statements
Returns to Oral Questions
Oral Question 1071-20(1), Cost of Living
Recognition of Visitors in the Gallery
Acknowledgements
Oral Questions
Written Questions
Returns to Written Questions
Written Question 26-20(1), Application of Waters Act Provisions to the Sale or Transfer of Mining Assets
Written Question 27-20(1), Physician Recruitment and Retention
Written Question 28-20(1), Medical Travel
Written Question 29-20(1), Paramedic Contracts
Written Question 30-20(1), Northwest Territories Health and Social Services Authority Action Plans
Written Question 31-20(1), Prenatal, Pregnancy, and Postpartum Costs
Written Question 32-20(1), Medical Travel Costs, Budget Pressures, and Travel Volumes
Written Question 33-20(1), Medical Travel Delays, Coordination, Communication and Repeat Travel
Written Question 34-20(1), Medical Travel Escort Policies Eligibility and Appeals
Replies to the Commissioner’s Address
Petitions
Reports of Committees on the Review of Bills
Reports of Standing and Special Committee
Tabling of Documents
Notices of Motion
Motions
Notices of Motion for First Reading of Bills
First Reading of Bills
Second Reading of Bills
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
Committee Report 35-20(1), Standing Committee on Public Accounts Report on the Review of the Auditor General’s 2025 Audit of Protected and Conserved Areas in the Northwest Territories
Tabled Document 448-20(1), 2026-2027 Main Estimates
Report of Committee of the Whole
Third Reading of Bills
Bill 33, Technical Safety Statutes Amendment Act
Bill 35, Miscellaneous Statute Law Amendment Act, 2026
Bill 42, Tleg’hli Got’ine Final Self-Government Agreement Act
Orders of the Day
Thank you, Mr. Clerk. This House stands adjourned until Wednesday, February 25th, 2026, at 1:30 p.m.
---ADJOURNMENT
The House adjourned at 7:45 p.m.
