Good afternoon.

As the Premier said, these are unprecedented times.

We put a name on it three weeks ago when we called a Public Health Emergency.

In declaring this emergency, we empowered the Northwest Territories Chief Public Health Officer to take the necessary extraordinary steps to meet this challenge, and protect our territory.

We’ve restricted entry in our territory, mandated self-isolation for residents returning to the NWT, and moved aggressively to educate people on behaviors they should practice and why we all must be in this together.

And to the thousands of residents across this territory who have been with us on our measures – embracing social distancing, staying home as much as possible, and changing how they live – from the bottom of my heart, thank you.

But we’re in this for the long-haul. This will be months, not weeks. And it is clear our steps must get bolder in order to meet this crisis head on.

The unfortunate reality, is that there will be a minority of people who will not walk with us. Education and awareness alone are never enough for some people.

The careless actions of this minority put our families, our friends and our communities at a higher risk.

And the compliance and enforcement taskforce will see to it - that this is not tolerated.

We’re expanding our enforcement efforts to strengthen Dr. Kandola’s orders where necessary, and protect everyone in our territory.

Our footprint will grow to encompass all 33 communities.  This taskforce will coordinate across government and other agencies as we continue to respond to this crisis.

But even with this expanded footprint, we must remember it needs to be a community effort to get the most out of our public health measures.

So today, I call on leadership across the territory to join us in building a culture of compliance in our communities.

That means making sure everyone knows you need to be in self-isolation if you’ve been tested or you’re sick.

It means reminding folks not to stand so close in the general store, and wearing cloth masks when around people.

It means letting your friends know parties aren’t OK right now, and suggesting a group chat on-line instead.

It’s about telling people to wash their hands like crazy.

And it’s about making sure folks aren’t going out in big groups’ on-the-land and not keeping their distance.

In a perfect world, charges wouldn’t be necessary.

But this government will not stand down when the actions of a few, put others in danger.

I strongly urge all residents to pay heed and follow Dr. Kandola’s current orders and any she may decide are needed in the days ahead, and get on the same team as we rise to this challenge together.

Thank you.