Robert Hawkins

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

WHEREAS local authorities are currently responsible for the development and implementation of their emergency plans;

AND WHEREAS the local emergency plan is the first line of defense to keep residents of the Northwest Territories safe and informed when responding to natural disasters or other similar emergencies;

AND WHEREAS Municipal and Community Affairs currently provides guidance to local authorities to create emergency plans but there is no requirement for the Minister to fund, draft, or assess these plans;

AND WHEREAS, the current form of community emergency plans...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And thank you to my colleagues for having this motion and on certainly supporting it to get it at least to this phase of the process. That said, Mr. Speaker, I've spoken at length about how important our RCMP are, and that's absolutely true, and I'll never change that, Mr. Speaker. At the same time, I'll also say that the RCMP, as they've acknowledged in this motion, and they've said themselves, you know, they're not social workers, and sometimes when the call comes in and they're the only one answering the phone, they cannot unanswer that phone. They can't let it ring...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I wish to table a statement of consistency for Bill 8-20(1), An Act to Amend the Student SFA Act. And I'll just say the final statement notes it complies with section 35, which is very important. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My Member's statement today talked about trying to find ways to help de-escalate violence in shelter and programs and opportunities that exist, and I even pointed at our First Nations -- Saskatchewan First Nations training program. Now, there's a lot of good in all of that, of course, but there's also opportunities. So my question will be directed to the Minister of Finance. And I'm going to give her a little second here or two.

The department, this section has the human resource department, and we do a lot of employee training currently right now. And so my question for...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Maybe just a quick comment before I get into my question. I think Members are restraining some of their questions to help the process move along, so. Maybe not all of course. That said, Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment with respect to autism supports and programming.

Mr. Speaker, parents have to cover PD days, daycare, afterschool program times, and summer programs, and it's having impacts on families and the relationships of friends and supporters. And I'm going to ask the Minister of education what can she do to further...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Standing Committee on Economic Development and Environment is pleased to provide its Report on Committee's Initiatives of a Project to Conduct a Review of the Land and Water Use Permitting Regulatory Framework and commends it to the House.

Mr. Speaker, the Standing Committee on Economic Development and Environment committee (the "committee") would like to inform the 20th Legislative Assembly that committee is in the early stages of conducting a review of the regulatory framework for land and water use permitting under the Mackenzie Valley Resources Management Act...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. For families, friends, and supporters of autism parents and families, the struggle is real and it's daytoday. It's certainly not for the faint of heart. Mr. Speaker, when you're on the vanguard of this problem every single day, this challenge, my heart goes out to those folks who are dealing with this. They are truly angels that that keep their families together.

Mr. Speaker, we all know the spectrum of autism ranges from some challenges to a lot of challenges, and each one is unique but each one is important. You know, I wish that one day, Mr. Speaker to be clear, I...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, I give notice that on Thursday, June 13th, 2024, I'll move the following motion:

Now therefore I move, seconded by the Member for Range Lake, that the Government of the Northwest Territories provide a response to Tabled Document 11820(1) and table it in the House within 120 days. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I'm okay, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. That's certainly welcome news; I wouldn't necessarily say it isn't. So back to my specific question is, is what policy changes can be done to help parents who have to take time off of work when there's PD days, there's no afterschool programs that support them, no daycares, and even including the full summer break when their young people need fulltime care, parttime care, oneonone care, etcetera, what can the department do to support policy initiatives that support these parents with autistic children? Thank you.