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Mr. Speaker, today, Northwest Territories residents will come together to march through the streets of Yellowknife to honour the 215 Indigenous children found at the Kamloops Indian Residential School last week.

This is an important opportunity for all of us as residents of the NWT to come together and show our support for people during this difficult time. It has brought to the surface painful memories for many, and with the strength of the community, we will get through this, together.

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Mr. Speaker, today’s mineral resource industry in the NWT is innovative, collaborative, environmentally conscious, and has the highest standards of safety. It collaborates with the GNWT and with Indigenous communities to enhance resources for capacity building and supports Indigenous participation in, and benefits received from, the mining industry.

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Mr. Speaker, every community in the Northwest Territories is different and has different needs and priorities. I am pleased to say that our Community Housing Support Program recognizes these differences and puts the priorities of local people right in the center of our planning processes. 

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Mr. Speaker, June is the month we make a special point of acknowledging and celebrating Seniors for their contributions to our families and communities.

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Mr. Speaker, I would like to update Members and the public on the Community Access Program administered by the Department of Infrastructure.

Premier Caroline Cochrane, Health and Social Services Minister, Julie Green and Education, Culture and Employment Minister, R.J. Simpson issued the  following statement on the recent COVID-19 outbreak at N.J. Macpherson and the Government of the Northwest Territories’ response:

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Mr. Speaker, like all of us here today, I recognize the importance of and value education and its role in creating long term successes for our residents and our territory. I am pleased to say that the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation, through its apprenticeship program, also reflects this value while also working hard to improve housing for many Northwest Territories residents.

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Mr. Speaker, five years ago the Government of the Northwest Territories took on responsibility for the tugs, barges and marine facilities that have served our communities for decades.  Since then, Marine Transportation Services, also known as MTS, has evolved and improved and provides reliable and professional marine shipping service while also supporting the Northwest Territories’ economy and workforce development.

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Mr. Speaker, June 3rd marks the two-year anniversary of the release of the Final Report of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls and its demand for a world where First Nations, Inuit, and Métis families can raise their children in an environment that offers the same level of safety, security, and human rights as non-Indigenous families.

To mark this date, I will be tabling the first annual report addressing the government’s actions to respond to the Calls for Justice.

Today, Premier Caroline Cochrane and Paulie Chinna, Minister Municipal and Community Affairs (MACA), announced two senior management officials have been assigned as Pathfinders to support flood impacted communities.

These Pathfinders have been assigned to travel to impacted communities and work with community leadership to confirm needs and preferred approaches. They will provide immediate assistance in answering questions about the process around flooding, to provide further information where and as needed.