When Canada looks to its future, the North is a guiding light — and the Northwest Territories is at its heart. Progress is coming into view as we turn shared priorities into action.

We’re just over halfway through this government now. Over the last two years, we’ve been doing what we set out to do: creating a more collaborative governing environment, working on improving basic services for residents, and pushing hard on things that have felt unmovable.

We are building a Northwest Territories where people and communities have more opportunities to heal, to become self-sufficient, and to prosper. Of course, we can’t do this alone. Working with Indigenous governments, communities, industry and the public,  we’re working to ensure residents have suitable, accessible, and affordable housing.

We’re establishing a strong economic foundation and building the major projects that will help shape our territory for decades to come.

We’re improving access to basic health care while addressing the effects of trauma.

We’re working to make communities safer for residents.

We’re doing all of this through the lens of reconciliation and a focus on the well-being and prosperity of residents.

When we began this Assembly, we inherited long-standing, systemic challenges related to healthcare, housing, the economy and safety.

These aren’t new problems, but they’re worsening problems, not just in the NWT but across Canada. Although the Northwest Territories is vast, our population is small, so it was clear that to address these challenges, we all need to work together.

A shining example of this NWT Council of Leaders — a forum where Cabinet, and Indigenous government leaders sit as equals, and where real work occurs. Under the Council of Leaders there are working groups health, emergency management, the economy, education, housing, and climate change. We work together to solve problems, align priorities, and move projects forward in ways that respect rights, responsibilities, and local knowledge. In October of 2025 the Council of Leaders has travelled to Ottawa on what has become an annual mission to meet with federal Ministers and officials and advance our shared priorities.

Our Cabinet also meets bilaterally with Indigenous governments on a regular basis, in addition to countless meetings between individual Ministers and Indigenous leaders. In 2025 my cabinet colleagues and I participated in 11 bilateral meetings between the GNWT and Indigenous governments in Hay River, Behchoko, Deline, Yellowknife, and Fort Smith. We’ve also taken part in Annual General Assemblies around the territory.

Our approach as we look towards the second half of our government is to continue to advance the Priorities of the 20th Legislative Assembly and to do it collaboratively.

Housing is a priority of this Assembly, and it’s an issue that touches everything. Health, education, safety, economic opportunity – all of these suffer without a safe place to call home.

Over the past two years, we’ve upgraded 231 social housing units to make them habitable and extend their use for decades to come.

We’ve built 81 new homes, have 155 in active construction, and another 64 in the planning stage, representing a total of 300 housing units that will be constructed in the 20th Legislative Assembly.

We’ve also adopted modern methods of home construction better suited to the North, including modular, hybrid, and mass-timber construction, which allows us to deliver new and more efficient homes faster, while keeping more of the economic benefits of construction in the NWT.

Collaborative governance is a cornerstone to this government, so we’ve been working in close collaboration with Indigenous governments and community housing organizations to move projects forward faster and in ways that reflect local priorities. We’ve also made direct multi-year GNWT investments, so housing can be planned, funded, and delivered with more certainty.

But this is about more than short-term fixes. Our focus is on predictable funding, Indigenous-led projects, and modern delivery models that work in the North. This is what shifting the unshiftable looks like: real progress people can see, in communities across the territory.

Housing is where stability begins. And healthcare is where people most clearly feel whether government is delivering. It’s one of the few systems that touches every resident — no matter their age, income, or circumstances — and people’s experience of it comes down to three things: access, respect, and reliability.

Access challenges are felt most strongly in our smaller communities. Improving that access is a core commitment of this government. We are strengthening the Community Health Nurse–led model, while making it more flexible in the face of ongoing staffing pressures. That includes expanding the use of Licensed Practical Nurses and paramedics in community health centres, supported by Nurse Practitioners and expanded virtual care — so residents can get essential services closer to home.

But access alone is not enough. A strong, people-centred health and social services system must also be grounded in trust, respect, and cultural safety. We are working directly with Indigenous governments and communities through shared governance, co-design, and the integration of traditional healing and local wellness priorities — guided every step of the way by frontline staff, Elders, and families.

When care isn’t available close to home, residents rely on medical travel. For years, we’ve heard about the challenges residents have experienced with the program. Dealing with medical issues can be stressful enough on its own, medical travel shouldn’t add to that stress. That’s why we’re modernizing the system to make it more consistent, efficient, and easier to navigate. We’re streamlining processes, improving communication, setting clear service standards, and developing practical tools, such as a Medical Travel Manual, to help ensure residents experience a more reliable and more relaxing journey when they travel for care.

Good health is important to each of us as individuals, but it’s equally important to have healthy communities. Over the past five years we’ve seen a significant increase in serious criminal activity across the NWT, primarily related to illicit drugs. This increase in crime is impacting the health and well-being of individuals, families, communities, as well as frontline officers and service providers, so we’re taken concrete steps to tackle it head on.

We’ve added more RCMP officer positions across the territory, established a Crime Reduction Unit with the mandate and expertise to take on the criminal networks operating in the NWT, and created the territory’s first ever full-time Emergency Response Team. We’ve also fast-tracked legislation to that will provide law enforcement with more tools, including the Safer Communities and Neighbourhoods Act, known as SCAN, the Civil Forfeiture Act, and the Trespass Act. These steps are part of our broader commitment to safe communities for Northerners, because every resident deserves to feel secure in their home and community.

Keeping communities safe means being prepared for emergencies.

In the NWT, we know all too well about emergencies. The past few years have tested our emergency management system, our evacuation planning, and the front line workers we rely on in times of crisis. In response, we listened to communities, Indigenous governments, and responders, and we took those lessons seriously.

That’s why we’re changing how the Northwest Territories prepares for fires, floods, and extreme events. We’re no longer reacting season to season: we’re planning for the next 30 years. That means coordinating how we manage wildfires, giving communities better training and support to respond on the ground, and investing in equipment so communities can act faster and more safely. We’re improving evacuation planning and coordination, and investing in science, monitoring, and Indigenous land-based knowledge to better understand risk before emergencies happen.

This work is about readiness, coordination, and making sure communities know they won’t face the next emergency alone.

While we’re preparing for emergencies, we’re also preparing for economic success in the NWT. A strong economy doesn’t happen by accident — especially in the North. It takes stability, credibility, and steady groundwork.

Over the past two years, we’ve focused on creating the conditions for growth while supporting workers and employers. We’ve pushed to reduce internal trade barriers through the Committee on Internal Trade, participated in the Nominee Program so businesses can find and keep the workers they need, and made sure the Northwest Territories has a strong voice in national economic discussions.

At the same time, major projects that have been talked about for years are finally moving forward. The Arctic Economic and Security Corridor, the Taltson hydro expansion, and the Mackenzie Valley Highway are no longer just plans, they’re being advanced through strong partnerships with Indigenous governments and meaningful federal support. That includes infrastructure and clean energy funding, regulatory alignment, and sustained engagement at the ministerial level to help move projects from concept to construction.

We’ve also supported our mining sector through national tables like the Energy and Mines Ministers Conference, the Council of the Federation, and the Western and Northern Premiers’ meetings, where we’ve been telling the NWT’s story on the national stage. This is how we stabilize today and build long-term opportunity for workers and communities across the territory.

Growing our economy means making sure the Northwest Territories is heard clearly and consistently at the national level.

Over the past two years, we’ve taken a more deliberate approach to federal engagement. With a bold outreach strategy, we’ve focused on showing up early, aligning our priorities, and being clear about what the North needs to succeed. That work is paying off.

We’ve travelled to Ottawa with the Council of Leaders to speak directly to federal decision-makers. We’ve had substantive meetings with Prime Minister Carney and federal representatives on major infrastructure, housing, and energy priorities. These are more than just symbolic moments – they’re efforts that will lead to securing real commitments and moving projects forward.

The Northwest Territories is also stepping into a national leadership role. As chair of the Northern Premiers’ Forum, and later this year as chair of the Council of the Federation, we are helping to shape agendas, convene partners, and advance practical solutions on shared priorities. At Northern, Western, and national premiers’ tables, we are bringing a northern perspective to issues that matter to all Canadians.

The message is simple: we’re at the table with a loud, clear, and consistent voice, and the North is being taken seriously.

Over the past year, I’ve spent a lot of time on the road.

I toured the Nunakput riding. I was in Norman Wells for the Tłegǫ́hłı̨ Got’įnę Government’s  Final Self-Government Agreement celebration. I visited Deline for bilateral meetings, was in Behchoko for the Council of Leaders meeting, and in Fort Smith, I helped welcomed Prime Minister Carney back to his hometown.

These visits aren’t just photo ops. They’re conversations in community halls, health centres, work sites, shelters, and kitchens. Listening to Elders, youth, leaders, frontline workers, people experiencing homelessness, and growing families about what’s working, and what isn’t.

That’s where this government’s work is rooted. In real places. With real people. In communities where Indigenous governments lead, and where solutions reflect local realities.

Those conversations shape our priorities on housing, health, safety, and economic opportunity. Because progress in the Northwest Territories starts in communities.

We’re halfway through this mandate, and we’re not slowing down.

The next two years are about staying focused and finishing the work we’ve started. That means continuing to work in partnership with Indigenous governments, pushing forward on housing reform, and delivering the major changes our healthcare system needs.

It means advancing long-term economic transformation, strengthening safe communities, and modernizing how we prepare for and respond to emergencies.

This isn’t about new promises. It’s about follow-through. It’s about taking what’s already underway and making sure it delivers real results for people, in communities across the Northwest Territories.

We’ve shown what steady, practical progress looks like. Over the next two years, that’s exactly what we’re going to keep delivering.

The work isn’t easy. But it matters. And we’re doing it together.

I want to thank Northerners across the territory: frontline workers, Indigenous governments, community leaders, and everyone who shows up every day to support their families and their communities. Your work is what makes progress possible.

Over the past two years, we’ve shown that things can move in the Northwest Territories. Systems can change. Long-standing challenges can be tackled. Real progress can be made when we stay focused and work collaboratively.

When we look towards the possibilities on the horizon for the Northwest Territories, one thing is clear: we are stronger together.

The video was published on the Cabinet Communications Facebook page and is available to watch here.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/v/14aP7UkF8gM/
YouTube: https://youtu.be/EzVIIjH_FyE