Kieron Testart

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, recent news reporting has led to some good news for the Northwest Territories. As much as $10 billion is hanging over our territory as part of the NORAD northern basing infrastructure program with development and design construction to continue to 2039 with some of those contracts out for tender now. I know our Premier has been doing the circuit on television, at FTP meetings, at standing committee. So can he tell us if we are on track to receive this money, to get this money invested in our communities? Are we ready and able to spend it and start to see...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, we need community justice committees for these programs. So can the Minister just clarify if there are community justice committees in all NWT communities. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And the pace is what worries me. Plans within plans within plans; it does not sound like we're getting anywhere very quickly. So will the Minister -- can the Minister reassure me and Northerners that that plan and the necessary investments in that airport will be done by the time this money starts rolling out? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, another component of this new defence investment is the Inuvik airport but, of course, the Yellowknife airport as well. The Yellowknife airport has its own revolving fund and, you know, last year saw over 618,000 passengers. It's time that it got some real investment. The revolving fund isn't moving quick enough to invest in the needs, and it's certainly not moving quick enough to invest in the needs of $10 billion that is going to revitalise the economy, create jobs and growth. Will the Minister of Infrastructure commit to investing more funding into the...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And, you know, there's a lot of attention on this obviously because our economy is in poor shape. Mr. Speaker, it's good that this procurement process is going to let other private sector make themselves prepared for this money, but is the government prepared? So a lot of this is about developing new infrastructure, airport hangars, all that kind of stuff. We need land, we need permitting, we need all these things done. Is this government prepared with those steps to support the private sector, support DND, and make sure this money arrives on time and revitalizes this...

Mr. Speaker, the world today is very different from when we took office two years ago. Our once stalwart ally and partner, the United States, continues to violently dismantle the prosperity and security we once built together. Last month, Prime Minister Carney captured this moment clearly in his address at Davos. We are in the midst of a rupture, not a transition.

As Northerners, instability has long been our reality. We are all familiar with the instability of climate change as the North warms three to four times faster than the rest of the world. Our permafrost is thawing, sea ice melting...

Thank you. Well, apologies to the Minister. I thought leading meant both departments were playing a more or less equal role. But the Minister has worked to update emergency plans, incorporate recommendations from after-action reports. So has the Minister made any steps with the EMO and with those emergency plans to incorporate the SPCA and organizations involved in animal wellness into emergency plans? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And yet they keep getting sued, Mr. Speaker. So clearly something's not working. So will the Minister commit to a full evaluation of this system? And let's take one aspect of it, the 85 percent capacity threshold for enrolments, will she convert that to a capacity threshold on non-rights holders as they have in the Yukon so we can allow these schools to grow, to thrive, these students to thrive, and Francophones to have their rights respected in the Northwest Territories? Thank you.

[Translation] Mr. Chair, I have questions for the Minister of Education regarding French language education as a first language.

[Translation Ends].

I won't do them in French because I am a product of the immersion system, so I will spare the House that.

Our French, how we manage our commission scolaire is very different than our neighbouring territory, the Yukon. The Yukon government gives far more flexibility to the commission scolaire to make their own decisions within the policy set where our government has very restrictive -- restrictive models of controlling admissions and other aspects of...

Merci, Monsieur le President. The Northwest Territories is home to a strong Francophone presence that has long been part of our territory's diverse multilingual tapestry. Since the earliest days of the fur trade, the Franco-Ténois community has carried their legacy forward through generations of our shared northern history. This is no easy task in our smaller and more remote communities where French language services are often limited. Yet despite these challenges, Francophone families continue to pass on their language, culture, and pride, keeping this living heritage strong across the North...