Kieron Testart

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. That was a good summary from my colleague from Inuvik Boot Lake. However, the other we had a Member stand up and say they might have to be the unpopular one to bring some truths, and I guess it's my turn that day, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, when we set out to -- when I cautioned this Assembly at the beginning of this budget process, it was to settle for low expectations and continue a culture of low expectations.

Unfortunately, we are there again. We need big, ambitious ideas to carry us into an uncertain future and, unfortunately, we are settling for what I would...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And apologies to the Minister for not being clear. Yes, that's more or less it. There's a very valuable service here. They're looking to grow and continue to support the government in French language education and lifelong learning in the Northwest Territories. Thank you.

Thank you. That's exactly what I was looking for. So I'm sure there's going to be many people out there who -- or municipalities and communities who are looking for that enabling power or at least a chat about it. So now they know in four- to six-months, the department will be ready for a phone call. So thank you very much to the Minister for clarifying that.

Merci, Monsieur le President. So earlier today, which again feels like ages, but good debates, I spoke about College Nordique Francophone which occupies a really unique space in the Northwest Territories. It is an accredited post-secondary institution, and it is the only French language one. And as we know, Canada is a bilingual country, and the federal government has millions, if not billions of dollars, through Heritage Canada to support French language learning and French language speakers.

So my question to the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment, how is -- or will the Minister...

Thank you, Madam Chair. And thank you to the Minister for that. So it's important to note that this is an enabling power. It's not a prescriptive power. So creating the ability for other peace officers to enforce the act doesn't mean they must, but obviously if a community asked for that, that would be what the regulations would be drafted for.

So where we're at now, I guess, what I'm trying to get at, is if the City of Yellowknife feels prepared -- and the committee received written correspondence to that end -- is prepared to use their municipal enforcement officers or wants to use them under...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you to the mover and seconder for bringing this motion forward. Medical travel is a huge issue in the Northwest Territories, and as our primary care system continues to face challenges, medical travel becomes all the more common and not just for small communities but for Yellowknife as well.

In my previous term as an MLA, I dealt with, I'd say, a handful of medical travel issues over the course of four years. Now I deal with them, if not weekly, you know, multiple times a week. It is an incredible volume of concern coming forward, and often it is the gaps that we...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I wish to table a CBC News item posted March 5th, 2026, titled Yellowknife Family Calls for Changes to Medical Travel Policy After Troubling Experience. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I'm pleased to stand in support of my colleague's motion. You know, I'm -- when I worked at the Yellowknives Dene First Nation, you know, I walked into the Chief Drygeese Centre and saw the motto every day As Long as the Sun Shines, the River Flows and the Grass Grows, so will the Treaty and the land and the people be sustained. And water is life, land is life, and doing what we can to protect it and ensure that the rights -- the treaty rights of Indigenous people are intact, especially in government to government relationships, in this case with the...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. So how -- again, the Minister just committed that timelines would be shortened with new staffing with the success of this new communication. How much shorter? Because time is of the essence. Again, we are expecting transformational, generational change, massive investment from the military. We need to be ready. So is the Minister -- can the Minister tell me how much shorter that timeline's going to be?

Merci, Monsieur le President. [Translation] The only post-secondary French institution was opened in Canada, north of the 66th parallel, ever since its founded inception. In 2011, the college has continued to develop its programs and placed Northwest Territories as an educational pole in terms of Francophone education. The success of this initiative is such that their partnerships go beyond our borders, with Yukon and Nunavut. As such, the College Nordique Francophone is positioned to begin to serve Francophone communities throughout the North, and therefore creating a unique educational...