Caitlin Cleveland

Thank you very much, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, I guess, first of all, congratulations to MLA Johnson. If you are a Yellowknifer and you don't know street names, it means you're properly acclimatized to be a Yellowknifer.

My question is for the Minister in regards to I just want an idea of why the Department of Health and Social Services is requesting money for a capital project that they don't really have kind of secure handle on what location's going to be used, what design's going to be used, when it will be completed, or what budget they're going to be requesting, given that this does not fall...

Thank you, Madam Speaker. Madam Speaker, I'm wondering if Health and Social Services will commit to providing conditional employment contracts to potential nursing graduates in January before they are headhunted by other jurisdictions? In speaking with past graduates, they have noted that quite often in the month of June they are receiving casual contracts and are really having to put their faith in the GNWT to get around to providing indeterminate contracts to them. And so I'm wondering if we can bump this up to really make sure that we're not losing nurses to other jurisdictions. Thank you.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. Madam Speaker, my questions today are for the Minister of Health and Social Services. I'm wondering if NTHSSA will consider funding Aurora College nursing student tuition for southern students who want to study and work in the NWT as a means to attract new nursing students? Thank you.

Yeah, thank you very much, Mr. Chair, and I appreciate that from the Minister. I want to understand a little bit more given that it seems like Hay River's our best bet for longterm care outside of Yellowknife. I want to understand from the Minister if their intent is to move the facility because of where the flood waters came to, or is it to redesign, and if the Minister can confirm if the flood waters came up to where the existing location was expected to be, or what specifically is needing to change because of the flood this year. Thank you.

Thank you very much. And sorry, I'm having a hard time hearing Mr. Heath at times. I don't know if we can turn up his microphone; it could just be my ears, so I apologize for that.

So my concern is that given that this is at the planning stage, not the actual facilities will be done at the estimated completion time that, really, the soonest we're going to have additional longterm care facilities in the Northwest Territories would be the 20272028 fiscal year, which is another six years away from now. And a lot of these facilities are already late, I guess, or have been pushed back from when they...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I guess I'm trying to get all my words in this week after two missed days.

In March of this year, Mr. Speaker, the three northern Premiers wrote to the Council of Federation to express concern with Canada's Arctic defence and security and requesting Arctic sovereignty and security become a standing agenda for these meetings. And so I am wondering if the Premier can explain how the federal government responded to the issues of the northern Premiers, how the northern territories are working together to advance the northern interest in Arctic security, and if the...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my questions today are for the Premier.

Mr. Speaker, on October 17th, 2022, the Premier said in this House "northern security is not just about robust military presence. It is mostly about building strong resilient communities through significant investment in critical infrastructure like roads, ports, telecommunications, and energy."

Mr. Speaker, the Government of Canada released its Arctic and Northern Policy Framework in 2019. This framework speaks to goals like ending poverty, eradicating hunger, reducing suicides, broadband for all, enhanced trade, and...

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. And I appreciate that we're that we're this government is being consistent in asking for more money. But in 2022, the federal budget announced a total of $8 billion new funding over years in response to the defence policy from the federal government. There was $40 billion or sorry yeah, $40 billion to modernize NORAD over the next 20 years and $4.9 million to update aging North American air defence systems.

So I'm wondering if the Premier can explain how the federal budget that has been set and has been allocated to Arctic security will impact the NWT...

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, just this past Monday in Iqaluit, there was a collection of policymakers that got together in order to discuss this very thing, Arctic sovereignty. And that was in response to a $4.9 billion investment from the federal government. So these conversations are still happening. And having this conversation twice over the course of this Assembly just isn't enough. We need more attention from the federal government here in the western Arctic and, especially when here, any NWT resident could tell you, that the North definitely felt things in a more...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, over the last week I had the opportunity to attend and speak on a panel at the Arctic Circle Assembly. Arctic nations from around the world discussed the unique challenges and opportunities faced by circumpolar nations in the face of climate change. Youth, Indigenous leaders, bureaucrats, politicians, researchers, and even royalty, discussed an array of topics from Arctic biodiversity to green energy and mental health to critical infrastructure.

Infrastructure development is a key circumpolar focus as the world continues to warm. In September this year, the...