R.J. Simpson

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. There were 35 recommendations in that report. 35. If you look at 34 of them, they say "agree". There is one where the department looked at internally the capacity and made the determination that this is what is appropriate for our northern context. I mean, we could farm out all decisions to contractors and to third parties and academics and experts from other places, but at some point, we have to govern and make decisions based on the learned experiences that we have as a government. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. So the question is did we -- the question as I understand it is did the government do a cost analysis of creating a new emergency management department. And so earlier the Minister of MACA stated that the decision was made based on the capabilities that are currently in house. And so, you know, that's the information that I heard earlier today, and I believe that the Minister has committed to going back to the department, looking at the cost of doing something like this. So I think that that question has been answered today already and that further conversations will...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And I think I explained earlier what we're talking about when we talk about critical services. However, I do take the Member's points. You know, from time to time you hear about the impact of stray dogs in communities. It comes and goes. Sometimes it's worse than others. But what I'll do is I will have a conversation with the Minister of MACA, I'll have a conversation with the department, and see what type of work is happening in this area and what types of supports are possible, if any. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I very much appreciate the work of the SPCA. I've had pets most of my life and, you know, when there's an emergency, I know that the trauma of being separated from your pet. So the work that they have done over the years is -- you know, is very important. What we are doing as a government is looking at the services that we provide, the services that we would have to provide if other service providers didn't do them. And so what we're focusing on now as we strengthen our relationship with the NGOs is those types of services, the services that if that NGO was to stop...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I wish to advise Members that the honourable Member for Kam Lake, the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment, will be absent from the House today as she is travelling back from the forum of Ministers responsible for Immigration in Toronto, Ontario;

The honourable Member for Thebacha, the Minister of Justice, will be absent for today and tomorrow to virtually attend the federal-provincial-territorial Ministers responsible for Justice and Public Safety meeting;

As well, the honourable Member for Inuvik Twin Lakes, the Minister of Health and Social...

Mr. Speaker, I wish to table the following six documents: GNWT Response to Motion 49-20(1), Compassionate Medical Evaluation Policy GNWT Response to Motion 50-20(1), Appointment of Person to Investigate the Critical Incident of Avery Burke, Wesley Marcellais and Hilary Norwegian; GNWT Response to Motion 55-20(1), Staffing Solutions to Rebuild and Reform Health Care Now; GNWT Response to Committee Report 23-20(1), Report on the Review of Land Use Permitting and Water Licensing Regulatory Framework in the Northwest Territories; Additional Information for Return to Written Question 17-20(1)...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. So I am not a big fan of amalgamating and separating departments. I've seen it happen during my time in Cabinet, and it takes a lot of energy, it takes a lot of resources, and it takes years for things to begin working smoothly. We have a system right now where there's a dedicated team of people who work on emergency management. There's training for government employees who can become part of that team when it is necessary. And so the decision was made, as I understand it, based on those factors. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. So I've committed to work with the Minister of MACA, have a conversation with him, talk to EIA about what is possible, and so I will ensure that I do that. If it moves beyond that, I'm happy to work with the SPCA as well. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As I said earlier, I definitely value the work of the SPCA. Not everything that happens in the territory is government-supported, nor should it be. There are some things where the community, where people have to step up. I'm happy to make a donation. I'll commit to making a $500 donation to the SPCA here. I encourage other Members to do it. There are some things that we as citizens of the territory need to come together and support. There's other things only government can really support. So while I'd like to be able to stand up here and say every NGO gets money because...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I think that that -- well, I know that that trip to Ottawa with the Council of Leaders really highlighted the importance of having Indigenous voices at the table in Ottawa. We're a small territory. Authorities are disbursed among a number of different bodies and governments and boards. And we're not going to advance unless we work together to advance, and so it is absolutely critical to have Indigenous governments support their advocacy efforts in Ottawa. We all sink or swim together. If an Indigenous government is able to go to Ottawa, get support for something, bring...