Kieron Testart

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I move, seconded by the honourable Member for the Sahtu, that, pursuant to Rule 3.5, that the ordinary business of the House be set aside to discuss a matter of urgent public importance requiring immediate consideration; namely, the humanitarian crisis in the Sahtu, specifically in the town of Norman Wells, where the town council has unanimously declared a local state of emergency on October 15th, 2024. The people of the Sahtu urgently require an indication of the kind of short-term and long-term strategies that the Government of the Northwest Territories...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I find that alarming. I know the Minister and I were at the same meeting but for one district in Yellowknife, the cost of implementation is around $600,000, and if it's not coming from the -- it's coming from resources that should be going to just support the schools and support our children in those schools. Will the Minister reconsider this approach and fully fund the transition that the government has mandated on school districts? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, it's -- well, it's been back to school for a bit for parents in the Northwest Territories. As one of them, I'm always keen to help support students in their education journey and working families as well. One of the biggest things that's happening in our school districts is the change to the BC curriculum. Can the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment speak to the progress of the implementation of the new curriculum in NWT schools? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, we are rapidly nearing our one-year anniversary as an Assembly and 1,053 days until the next election. As I reflect on this, I'm also mindful of today's opening prayer from former Commissioner Tuccaro on being a force of positive change for our communities. That is why we are here. But let me ask you, Mr. Speaker, are we better off today as a territory than we were a year ago? Have we made positive change on the most pressing issues facing Northerners?

Mr. Speaker, health care is in crisis, with doctors, nurses, and workers continuing to leave the profession...

Mr. Speaker, our rules permit the House to discuss a matter of urgent public importance requiring immediate consideration subject to the following conditions:

The Member proposing the motion shall give written notice to the matter proposed to be discussed to the Speaker at least one hour before the sitting of the house;

No more than one matter shall be discussed on the same motion;

The motion must not raise a matter of privilege; and,

The motion must not raise any matter which can be debated upon a motion with notice.

Mr. Speaker, you can be assured that the conditions pursuant to our rules have...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, it's true that you don't need to replace every book but we're talking about software licenses, professional development, and the costs that have been communicated with me and with other Members of this House are clear, there is a cost to this. It is not being able to be dealt with by coordinators in the schools, and when we download the costs on to parents, on to teachers, it means more improvement days, more professional development days, and less instructional time. So will the Minister work with school boards to provide additional funding -- maybe it's...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, how much money has the department put aside to help transition schools over this five-year period? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I'd like to recognize a page from Range Lake, Tika Ristau. Thank you very much for your work today. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I want to start by thanking the honourable Members of this House and those in the public service and the Legislative Assembly who work to support us. This has been a demanding sitting. And without the attention of its Members and the diligence of our staff, we could not have accomplished our task of concluding the 2024 Budget. And I do want to give them a shout out as many members have today.

Mr. Speaker, compared to the last Speaker, my friend from Boot Lake, this will be a glass half empty speech to his glass half full, but I think it's important to...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'm pleased to support this motion. And, in the words of the late and legendary Cece McCauley, build the damn road.