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Mr. Speaker, I wish to advise Members that the Honourable Member for Kam Lake, 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, 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.

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Mr. Speaker, as we come together for this fall sitting of the 20th Legislative Assembly, I want to begin by welcoming all Members back to the House and by thanking the people of the Northwest Territories for their strength, generosity, and optimism about the future of our territory, even in the face of challenges.

Good morning — Drin Gwiinzii (drin gweezee), Ullukkut (oo-LAH-kkut).

It’s a real pleasure to be here in Inuvik today. Thank you for the opportunity to speak on behalf of the Government of the Northwest Territories.

I want to acknowledge the many leaders in the room—elected leadership as well as those who are leaders in communities and in business.

I want to start with a quote from the Northwest Territories chapter of the federal government’s Arctic and Northern Policy Framework, launched back in 2019, that I’ve repeatedly gone back to and still find relevant:

Good morning everyone,

Thank you for the opportunity to be here with you in Inuvik for the Arctic Development Expo. It’s always good to be back in the Beaufort Delta, and especially meaningful to speak on a subject as important—and as personal to Northerners—as Arctic sovereignty and security.

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Mr, Speaker, I am going to begin my statement in Dinjii Zhu’ Ginjik.

[Following portion will be spoken in Dinjii Zhu’ Ginjik]

Mr. Speaker, as we approach the end of the 2024-2025 school year, I want to congratulate all the students of the Northwest Territories and celebrate their successes. Whether they are graduating from junior kindergarten, high school or a post-secondary institution like Aurora College or Collège Nordique, the territory’s graduates have so much to be proud of.

[Resume English]

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Mr. Speaker, ensuring the health and well-being of all residents in the Northwest Territories is an essential work of this government.

The NWT is falling behind other jurisdictions when it comes to implementing healthy safeguards to limit smoking. Yukon implemented a smoking ban in public and government housing in in 2012, and Nunavut followed suit in 2023. Now, we must align with prevailing health advice and ensure safe, client-focused housing solutions.

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Mr. Speaker, I would like to provide an update on Marine Transportation Services operations for the 2025 sailing season.

Every spring, residents and businesses across the territory are eager to plan shipments of their essential goods and equipment by our barges along the Mackenzie River, Great Slave Lake, and communities in the Western Arctic.

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Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to share that the Government of the Northwest Territories has launched this year’s United Way Workplace Giving Campaign.

This annual campaign gives GNWT employees a simple and meaningful way to support programs that make a real difference in communities across the territory.

Through payroll deductions, employees can choose to direct donations to United Way NWT, helping fund local organizations that tackle poverty, support youth, and improve community health and well-being.

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Mr. Speaker, today I want to speak about the Government of the Northwest Territories’ new integrated approach to energy and climate change, and how the Department of Infrastructure’s work on energy will help build a stronger, more affordable, and more resilient future for the territory.

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Mr. Speaker, today I want to talk about the Government of the Northwest Territories’ new approach to addressing climate change. From community resilience to economic opportunities, the challenges posed by climate change are urgent, complex, and interconnected with many other aspects of life here in the Northwest Territories. That is why the GNWT is moving to a joint approach that brings together climate change and energy strategies, with the aim of taking more efficient, coherent, and impactful actions across government.