Check against delivery.

Mr. Speaker, yesterday, the Office of the Auditor General of Canada tabled its report on Child and Family Services in the Northwest Territories.

The report looks at how our Child and Family Services system is doing its job of supporting and protecting children, youth, and families. It also reminds us why independent oversight matters because it helps us see where the system is working, where it is not, and what we need to do better. At the heart of all of this is one priority: keeping children and youth safe; supporting their wellbeing; and, helping them stay connected to their families, cultures, and communities.

Child and Family Services is some of the hardest and most important work our government does. The decisions made every day in this system carry very real and very serious consequences. The safety and wellbeing of children are always on the line.

Before I say more about the report, I want to speak directly to the people who do this work. The staff working in Child and Family Services show up every day in incredibly high‑pressure environments. Many are working through staffing shortages, heavy caseloads, and constant urgency. The work is emotionally demanding, time‑sensitive, and extremely complex. The stakes could not be higher.

I want to be clear that the dedication and effort of Child and Family Services staff are seen and recognized. This report is not about individual workers or a lack of care or commitment. It speaks to system‑level challenges, the conditions people are working within, not the professionalism or intentions of those doing the work.

The findings in this report reflect what we have been hearing for some time from Members of this Legislative Assembly, families, Indigenous governments, caregivers, and frontline workers themselves. The report confirms that progress has been made in recent years. It also makes clear that there are still real challenges that need to be addressed, particularly around consistency, accountability, and capacity within the system.

At the same time, Mr. Speaker, it is important to acknowledge that the Child and Family Services system has already begun to move in a new direction. One example of this is the use of voluntary service agreements, which focus on providing support and assistance to families before a crisis point is reached. These agreements are about helping families stay together safely, strengthening parenting capacity, and maintaining connection, rather than defaulting to family separation. This reflects a broader shift toward prevention, early support, and working alongside families to address challenges before they escalate.

Mr. Speaker, the Government of the Northwest Territories accepts all four of the Auditor General’s recommendations. Accepting recommendations matters, but what matters more is what we do with them. This is not about responding to one report and moving on. It is about continuing the work of strengthening a system that children, families, communities, and the staff who work within it, must rely on.

This report does not mark the beginning of this work. Improvements have been underway for several years through the Child, Youth and Family Services Strategic Direction and Action Plan, internal reviews, and efforts to modernize legislation to better align with federal requirements. Many of these efforts have been shaped by the experience and knowledge of staff working on the front lines.

Work related to the areas identified by the Auditor General is already underway. This includes improving consistency in practice and strengthening how information is used to support planning, oversight, and decision‑making. We also know that even more work will be needed, including continued partnership with Indigenous governments to support culturally appropriate care, efforts to build a more stable and representative workforce, and careful consideration through legislative and business planning processes.

Mr. Speaker, the Auditor General’s report will be reviewed alongside work already underway, and it will help guide updates to our action plan. The report will also be carefully considered through the Standing Committee’s review.

We know that past experiences with Child and Family Services, and past reports, have affected the trust many families place in the system. Rebuilding that trust takes time. It requires openness, accountability, and meaningful collaboration; especially with Indigenous governments, whose members continue to be disproportionately affected by the Child and Family Services system.

This work calls for persistence, humility, and strong partnerships. It also calls for continued support for the staff who carry this responsibility every day.

Our commitment is to strengthen the Child and Family Services system so it better protects children, works more consistently, and respects the cultures and identities of the families it serves. At the centre of this work is a simple but profound responsibility: to make sure children and youth in the Northwest Territories are safe, supported, and able to grow up connected to who they are and where they come from.

That responsibility will continue to guide our decisions.

We will continue to report publicly on our progress; being clear about improvements made and honest about where more work is needed.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.