George Nerysoo

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today I would like to reiterate my concerns for the Dempster Highway conditions between Rengleng River and Inuvik.

Since the fall of 2024, just before the ground was beginning to freeze, I brought up the concerns and safety of this section of the highway. I bring this concern up again because of the safety of the users. We have local traffic and semi-truck users on this section of the highway on a daily basis, and their safety, when driving that Dempster Highway, should be a priority to this government. As it is starting to warm up again, the highway conditions are...

Thank you, Madam Chair. With the uncertainty of what Aurora College is going to do within the near future in terms of the community learning centres and what's going to happen with staff, if they do not decide -- if they do not come back with a plan that will meet the needs of the smaller communities, with this motion that we're going to be saying we're going to be using it for other initiatives. I think it's a little bit too early because, you know, we're having consultation with the board of governors and seeing what they say before we even know what they're going to do or they're going to...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today I would like to recognize two pages from my riding of the Mackenzie Delta. Elijah Smith and Sandy Dylan are both from Aklavik and attend Moose Kerr School. I'd like to welcome them to the Assembly and congratulate them on a job well done. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today, I acknowledge a very determined young man from Tetlit Zheh, Mr. Deeron Vittrekwa. While bringing up a young family with his spouse Natasha, who just completed her business management program, Mr. Vittrekwa is in his fourth year of a four-year teacher education program at Yukon University. He will serve as a great role model to the younger generation in pursuing a career path.

I would like to ask my colleagues to join me in congratulating Mr. Vittrekwa on receiving an Indigenous language revitalization scholarship, and for his commitment to...

Thank you, Madam Chair. Looking at your actuals from 2023 up to the main estimates of 2025-2026, every year there's been an increase. Can you give me some information on that as to where it's going to, income support rather than, you know, what they call disabled or people that really need it; where's this money going? Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you, Madam Chair. When you witness a recent graduate in the adult education system as I witnessed, I was getting refreshing in my math and a recent graduate was in the same classroom, but this individual was having problems with simple, simple math, like multiplications and dividing, and you expect that person to go into a trades with those kind of credentials? I don't think so. He wouldn't even make it out the door. And that's where he's going, to income support. So there has to be some kind of mechanism where the government, the community, the teachers, have to find some kind of...

So it's referring to the income assistance portion of this document here. From 2023-2024, it was $36 million, and 2025-2026, it's $44 million; that's a substantial increase. And, you know, it's disturbing. I've been talking about this since day one when I've gotten this -- started sessions, and the increase is quite big. And, you know, are there, in the future, is there a look at maybe cutting some of these costs or, you know, maybe consulting with the communities on where we can make measures work for the communities. Especially the recipients, I don't think this is helping them. It's helping...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today would like to respond to the Budget Address for this fiscal year by this Government of the 20th Assembly. I am not just looking out for the best interests of my community, my riding, but I am concerned about the Northwest Territories as a whole.

Mr. Speaker, when I took the oath of office of this 20th Assembly, I took this oath very serious because I personally know the state of what our residents of the NWT are facing and what challenges they will have to endure in the near future. We as MLA's set priorities for this government to implement, to ensure the...

Thank you, Madam Chair. I try to listen but it's just being repetitive and, you know, going in circles. But the starts to education she stated that there has been some work done in regards to education the last three years, but I haven't seen any changes in the last ten years. And one of my concerns is socially promoting our children. I know there's some students -- I mean some parents who have concerns, and they -- they're more -- they're willingly -- they keep their children behind or worst comes to worst, they send them to another jurisdiction like the Yukon where they can get a better...

Thank you, Madam Chair. I'd just like to get some further clarification. We're putting our young students, young adults in a very bad situation. First of all, the education system is failing them. They have no place to go then to finish high school. It looks like they wouldn't be able to go to any upgrading for -- that's in their communities, so they'll have to move, and I think these young adults don't have -- haven't been out of their communities, and if they do find work, then they'll be clawed back by housing, so it's just a no-win situation. Is there any update on how the GNWT is ensuring...