Kate Reid

Mr. Speaker, the riding of Great Slave has a large population of newcomers, immigrants, refugees, temporary foreign workers, and permanent residents. These folks can't vote, but I still proudly represent them. I want to be clear. I know immigration is a federal issue, but decisions made in Ottawa affect our neighbours. Some are highly skilled individuals, including health professionals, but they're often only able to secure unskilled positions. There's a stark reality for many newcomers who feel tied to jobs that don't pay well, feeling compelled to stay in a job because their employer tells...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Does the Minister have a handle on how many applications she's expecting for 2025 considering the backlog now and what she might expect in the new year? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thanks, Mr. Speaker. And thank you to the Minister for that. That's good news.

I'm also wondering in the solution that she is proposing with her federal counterparts whether there might be part of it that would look like the deal that the Yukon recently secured earlier this month to secure temporary measures to extend work permits. Mr. Speaker, if she could elaborate on that. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I too would like to recognize my previous colleagues from the UNW, Gayla Thunstrom and Melvin Larocque, as well as three members from the Fort Simpson Housing Authority who are here today watching the proceedings. Welcome. And, also, I would like to say a very warm welcome to my page from Great Slave, Jack Lau. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I will add my voice to support the Member for Sahtu and the community of Norman Wells. Much has been said already, and I'm going to keep my comments brief.

About a year ago I was talking to people in my riding during the election campaign and we spoke endlessly of chronic and persistent cost of living issues then. I think my key message was the cost of living is skyrocketing, and people are struggling to make ends meet. The Sahtu's crisis puts this into stark perspective, Mr. Speaker. This is an exceptional problem in our territory that deserves immediate action and...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would like to recognize two of my constituents, Ms. Zoe Guille and Ms. Gabby LaMarsh, they're up here. They are both student midwives who some of the Members have met in the past few weeks. They've worked hard in these past weeks to advocate for midwifery. They're student midwives. They're committed to continuing the work in the coming years to plant roots in Yellowknife so we can see midwifery care grow throughout the territory. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I do not have a fancy speech; I have bullet points so bear with me. I think overall, generally speaking, it's a sign of a good negotiation when both sides come away somewhat unsatisfied. I also want to thank the AOC chair and AOC deputy chair. These two folks have done a fantastic job for the folks that are here on this side of the House. Much gratitude to you both.

The conversations that I will continue to have with this Cabinet focus on four main areas. The first, after listening to my colleague from Yellowknife North, is the Office of the Children's Lawyer. When we...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Like my colleague from Inuvik Boot Lake, I would also like to thank all of the interpreters, pages, and staff who have put up with us very well for the last three and a half weeks, or however long it's been; I'm not quite sure anymore. And I would also like to thank you, Mr. Speaker, for coming out to the Taste of Palestine last weekend. Over 200 Yellowknifers took part in a community dinner for over 200 people.

As you know, Mr. Speaker, limited resources are available for the children and families of Gaza, and Yellowknife raised $11,115 at that dinner and auction on...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. So I'll keep short and brief. I do agree with the intent of the motion, and I agree with much of what my colleagues have said here today, and I will be happy to support the motion. I think it's very important, as my colleague from Yellowknife North stated, that this will look different in every community. I think that this is currently framed in a sort of Yellowknife centric sort of way, so I hope that in the government's reply we have that fulsome breadth of a reply for what it might look like in some of our smaller communities as well.

I would also like to point out...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would like to present the petition dealing with the matter of improved fertility and family planning supports in the Northwest Territories.

Mr. Speaker, the petition contains a total of 368 signatures collected on change.org. Of those signatures, 189 are from residents of the Northwest Territories. And, Mr. Speaker, the petitioners request that the Legislative Assembly of the Northwest Territories direct the Minister of Finance to work within a whole-of-government approach to investigate the following:

The impacts to the territory of a declining birth rate...