Robert Hawkins

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Before I get to the details of my final comments, I want to thank the Member for Boot Lake. He's relentless on this issue. And those of you reading or listening at home or those historians 20 years from now that pay -- combing through Hansard, they heard it here, this Member's been relentless on municipal issues, so certainly by all means. He just every day brings up help Inuvik; we need more stuff. But in all honesty, Mr. Speaker, he is a good Member, and I do appreciate the work and support he's given this initiative. That said, I support all Regular Members on their...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

WHEREAS municipalities and community governments across the Northwest Territories are inadequately resourced to operate their communities and have been advocating to increase funding levels from the Government of the Northwest Territories for several years;

AND WHEREAS the $5 million increase in community government funding realized in the 19th Assembly does not recognize the increased inflationary costs to communities;

AND WHEREAS communities across the Northwest Territories have been facing emergencies since 2020 through COVID-19, flooding, and wildfires. The Northwest...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to return to item number 15, notices of motion. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I give notice that on Wednesday, June 12th, 2024, I will move the following motion:

Now therefore I move, seconded by the Member for Range Lake, that the Government of the Northwest Territories work in collaboration with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police to implement a crisis intervention team, through a partnership that supports the response to mental health emergencies, at an appropriately staffed level in order to maintain 24/7 support;

And further, the purpose of the crisis intervention worker is to enhance the response and reduce police contact in mental health...

Perhaps in a sentence or two, maybe we could explain why we have such a division -- significant division here in the headquarters region of North Slave if there's nothing being developed from the oil and gas perspective? In a sentence or two. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. When the Minister of health said she has conversations with the Minister of health, I hope she wasn't having an out of body experience. And that's meant as a joke, Mr. Speaker, okay, in the nicest way. Because I believe in the health Minister. As a matter of fact, I know the health Minister has the ability and knowledge, rah, rah, rah, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, I didn't talk about any of that stuff about people running around. I'm talking about being efficient with our money, Mr. Speaker. I'm talking about value for money. Instead of sending people daily to Edmonton for...

Oh, that's okay. I mean, what I'm getting at is there's a big division there, and it seems like five people are there, and they're working with a bunch of people. And I would almost go to say is would the Minister agree that policy and regulations could be worked on, designed, reviewed, and talked about anywhere in the Northwest Territories?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. With two CFOs, dozens of managers, directors, even bookkeepers for goodness sakes I'm sure, it's not a policy issue. It's a numbers issue. Why doesn't the department look at hiring someone specific to identify efficiencies with respect to costs? If health is so expensive, you'd be thinking health would be leading the charge to find the most efficient way to do things. And, Mr. Speaker, I believe in the department of health. Thank you.

Does the office work in isolation by itself as a nuclear unit, or does it have a support team that it works day to day with, say, like, for example, a specific division in headquarters?

Mr. Speaker, equitable access to health care is in the front of minds of all Northerners as we look to our families, and we always want the best for them. This includes specialized support services, such as specialists to get testing and treatment, Mr. Speaker. We all know delays cost lives, they cost money, they create frustration and inefficiencies, and this trouble Northerners far and wide. So whether you're in the Mackenzie Delta or you're in the Sahtu, Mr. Speaker, people get frustrated.

For example, delays in specialized services because your government chooses to send our team of experts...