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Mr. Speaker, I rise today as the Minister Responsible for Seniors to update Members on our mandate commitment to enable Seniors to age in place with dignity. This is an important commitment to me personally because of the number of Seniors who live in my constituency. I continue to hear that they want to stay in their homes as long as possible. That means taking a cross-department approach to providing seniors with access to various services and support when and where needed. 

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Mr. Speaker, today is the day that the Northwest Territories tourism sector has been anticipating for nearly two years. I am so happy to finally say that as of today, the NWT is welcoming back friends and visitors from near and far.

We all know that the NWT is a growing destination of choice for travelers from across Canada and around the world. In fact, in the year prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the territory had a record 120 thousand visitors, contributing more than $210 million to its economy.

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Mr. Speaker, I want to update Members on steps being taken to address the recruitment and retention of health and social services staff in the Northwest Territories. Members created a mandate priority to increase the number of resident health care professionals by at least 20 percent during the 19th Legislative Assembly. The COVID-19 pandemic has further highlighted the need for health and social services workers across Canada and within the Northwest Territories.

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Mr. Speaker, I would like to update Members and the public on some of the activities occurring at the Yellowknife Airport, or YZF. The airport has had an eventful year that included lucrative cold weather testing partnerships, responding to challenges from COVID-19-related events and work to advance important infrastructure improvements.

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Mr. Speaker, today I want to share some details about a new initiative led by the
Workers’ Safety and Compensation Commission, called Safe Workplace. Launched this year in Nunavut and the Northwest Territories, Safe Workplace is a health and safety program that recognizes employers for their workplace safety performance and helps others identify areas to improve.

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Mr. Speaker, the trucking sector is an important industry in the Northwest Territories. Our communities and residents rely on this sector to deliver essential supplies to northern communities every day. At the same time, the health and safety of NWT residents is a top priority of the Government of the Northwest Territories. We must consider policies that will make our transportation system safer for everyone.

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Mr. Speaker, today I am providing an update on easing public health restrictions as we move toward lifting the public health emergency on April 1st.  We have seen a steady decline in cases in the NWT since the mid-January peak after, but not before Omicron produced over three times the number of new COVID-19 infections compared to all previous waves of the virus combined in the NWT.

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Mr. Speaker, traditional lifestyles are a very important part of the social, cultural, and economic fabric of communities in the Northwest Territories.

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Mr. Speaker, Partnership is a theme I have spoken about many times since becoming the Minister Responsible for the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation. The reason for this is simple: the most effective way to address the housing crisis in the Northwest Territories, is by working in partnership with Indigenous governments, community governments, non-governmental organizations, and the Government of Canada.

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Mr. Speaker, yesterday the world was thrust into uncertainty and turmoil as Russia launched an attack and subsequent invasion of Ukraine.

The Northwest Territories stands with Ukraine. The images coming out of the eastern European nation are horrifying. My heart goes out to those who are forced to flee their homes to find safety, and to those who have lost their lives in a senseless act of aggression by Russia.