The Legislative Assembly of the NWT sent SA¹ú¼ÊÓ°ÊÓ´«Ã½ a report detailing MLAs Kate Reid and Shane Thompson's trip to Australia for this year's Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference (CPC).

The conference was held in Sydney from Nov. 3-8, and SA¹ú¼ÊÓ°ÊÓ´«Ã½ has been asking for an accounting ever since. On Dec. 3, legislative assembly staff sent the document.

Thompson attended as "regional champion" for Canada for Commonwealth parliamentarians with disabilities, the report explains. Reid went as the NWT branchSA¹ú¼ÊÓ°ÊÓ´«Ã½™s representative to the Commonwealth Women Parliamentarians. The final cost for this trip has yet to be confirmed, though the assembly says it expects the tally to be close to its original estimate, approximately $33,000. That figure that includes airfare, registration and accommodations.

The Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) did not offer remote participation at the conference, according to the assembly's report.

"The members travelled business class, as is allowed by government and assembly policy. The members finished the final [NWT legislative assembly] sitting day, went to the airport, travelled more than 20 hours and were at their first meetings within six hours of their flight arriving in Australia." the document reads.

The two MLAs attended the CPA Small Branches Network Conference. Thompson was nominated in the election for chair of the Small Branches Network, the report states. As part of his nomination speech, he spoke to delegates about the NWT's diversity and use of consensus government.

"While Mr. Thompson was not successful in the election, it was an opportunity to highlight the Northwest Territories," the report states.

Reid was a featured speaker on a panel titled 'Balancing Tradition and Innovation: Modernizing the Westminster System in Small Jurisdictions.' The report describes her presentation as focusing on the cooperation among the GNWT, Indigenous governments and the legislative assembly, and how they work to develop and pass lands and resources legislation.

There was also a Commonwealth Women Parliamentarians Conference, which Reid and Thompson were also a part of. They participated in a number of workshops, including: Building Bridges: Parliamentary Frameworks for Meaningfully Engaging with Indigenous Peoples; How can Legislatures Best Support and Promote LGBTQ+ Participation?; and Creating Inclusive Elections for Persons with Disabilities.

During his time in Australia, Thompson visited a rehabilitation facility in New South Wales and took part in a wheelchair basketball demonstration to better understand the challenges and opportunities for people with disabilities.

After the conference, there was an annual general meeting of the CPA.

"At the annual general meeting, [Reid and Thompson] participated in the election of a new chair for the CPA, and the approval of a new constitution and legal status for the CPA," the report states. "There was also a debate on votes versus likes SA¹ú¼ÊÓ°ÊÓ´«Ã½“ the Role of Parliament in Strengthening Democratic Resilience in an Age of Fake News and Synthetic Media," it adds.

SA¹ú¼ÊÓ°ÊÓ´«Ã½'s attempts to get comments directly from Thompson and Reid were denied.