Thank you, Member for Great Slave. To the principle of the bill. Member for Yellowknife North.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I'm not going to spend any time here today rehashing the items that are in the budget and what aren't. I've sort of sat down to formulate my thoughts over the last week or so and really thought my best bet would be to get up to speak from my heart because that is where I am -- what I am using to make my decision.

One thing that I have really learned over the last three years now in this role -- or almost three years -- is that we are only as strong as our weakest community and that until we start to build up the small communities and all of our residents in need and focus on that, we won't see prosperity for the territory as a whole.

While this budget does do things for Yellowknife as a group, I don't, like others, have an Indigenous leadership to go to; I don't have a specific group within my riding that is going to advise me on what they think. So, really, I have to vote what I think is right from my heart.

As we went through this process and I listened to the needs and the concerns of my colleagues on this side of the House and their frustration with the lack of progress that they see in their communities, I offered to them that my -- I don't know how to put this, Mr. Speaker, but that I would stand in solidarity with them.

To me, it's important that -- especially now as we are working together better as a group, the atmosphere on this side of the House has definitely improved in the last two sessions. As such, I think it's more important for me to show my colleagues that I support them and I support all residents of this territory.

While my specific constituents are probably getting as much out of this budget as they were going to get, that is not enough for me to say yes to the budget. I watch our government waste money left, right, and centre, and then yet turn down a small community ask or such for $150,000, yet we'll expand our public sector; we will not evaluate job descriptions to ensure people are working more efficiently.

To me, an economy is not having all of your people working for the government and being bureaucrats. And I very much still believe that senior bureaucracy in this territory is driving the decisions that are being made here and that I'm not sure that there really is leadership or will to change that.

So Mr. Speaker, with all of that being said, I'm going to speak with -- vote with my heart. I'm going to stand with my small community colleagues, and I will not be voting for this budget. Thank you.

Thank you, Member for Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh. To the principle of the bill. Member for Great Slave.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I too, along with several of my colleagues, will be voting against this budget.

I realize that I only just joined this Assembly in the last month; however, from what I've seen in the short time I have been here, I'm not impressed with the funding allocation to the Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh riding.

Mr. Speaker, as a former chief, great knowledge working in our communities, understanding the people in our communities. I heard every day when I was a chief that housing's always been a priority. I sat on the DFN housing committee for a long time, and again at the national level, they've been saying the same thing.

So Mr. Speaker, from what I've seen so far, I do not believe the allocation of funding is eventually distributed across all communities, the regions in the NWT.

More often than not, it is the capitol region that are receiving most of the budgetary funds. Since I've been here, I talked to a lot of -- about the housing needs within my riding but not have received any budget commitments from the Minister of Finance or Cabinet. The closest thing I received on this issue was a commitment from the finance minister to meet with me and to discuss the housing budget needs within the Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh riding. While that is a good first step, that does not address the many outstanding housing needs for the people in my constituency.

Furthermore, Mr. Speaker, I had been questioning the consensus government concept. I feel that there are flaws, and these flaws have to be evaluated and addressed. True consensus style government has not yet been reflected in this budget process. Therefore, I will be voting against this budget. My constituents are extremely important to me and my work here at the Legislative Assembly, and I must see concrete changes in the budget process in the future in order to support any future budget. I am just not seeing enough funding into the smaller communities or regional centres being addressed with concern -- which is concerning. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I just want to make a note too as well I -- I'm wearing the orange ribbon today. And I got one here for my colleague, Mr. O'Reilly. I just didn't give it to him yet. But it's just to show that small communities in the Northwest Territories matter, and they need to be heard. And that's why I want to dedicate this ribbon to the -- all small communities in the Northwest Territories. Mahsi.

Thank you, Member for Frame Lake. To the principle of the bill. Member for Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, do I think this is a revolutionary game changing budget? No.

I have shared my views on the budget as a whole in my reply to the budget address towards the beginning of this sitting. But true change takes time, Mr. Speaker. Evolution takes time. And I'll be the first to admit that I'm not the most patient person in this House. But I acknowledge that we are at a place where costs are being stretched in all directions. Inflation is having a real impact on the people we serve as well as the government who serves them. And our expectations of how the government serves the people of the NWT has also grown.

While we have big asks for funding, we also have an expectation that the cost of living in the NWT not be further exacerbated by our government and that cost savings not be at the expense of the livelihoods of the people of the Northwest Territories.

Both sides of these constraints, combined with our passion and love for each of our constituencies, made for, at times, a difficult budget discussion. But these discussions, as difficult as they are, also make me proud to work with, and continue to learn from, my fellow MLAs because the people we serve were central to all of our conversations.

So I want to thank my colleagues, Mr. Speaker, for sharing so passionately and candidly as we continue to work together. I'd also like to thank the chair and deputy chair of the Standing Committee on Accountability and Oversight who advocated for all regular Members with the Minister of Finance, and of course the Minister of Finance who was responsible to draft and implement the budget overall.

Last March, I read a motion into your House, Mr. Speaker, which called on the GNWT to prioritize the review of the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation as part of the government renewal initiative, that the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation update its mission statement and policies to reflect its role in social wellness, and that the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation must include referrals to appropriate government programs prior to beginning the eviction process.

This year, the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation released its new mission and vision which centers people at the forefront of its work, and now they are working with the Council of Leaders on organizational renewal by reviewing their policies, processes, and direction of NWT partnerships to house Northerners.

When questioning the Minister of the Housing Corporation during the main estimates review, she committed to a plan to address housing repairs in the NWT with an ultimate goal of bringing Northerners out of core need. There is still so much work to do, Mr. Speaker. But during my reply to the budget address, I asked if listeners only remembered one thing I said that day, it would be to note that the Housing Corporation cannot meet its mandate with a capital investment of $11 million.

Yesterday, the Minister of Finance committed to an additional $6.7 million in response to MLA negotiations. These included a one-time increase of $2.2 million for homelessness shelters, ongoing funding of $500,000 to Northwest Territories-based heritage centres, and to develop procedures for multiyear funding agreements that allow for inflationary increases for NGOs.

In addition to these three commitments, a fourth final commitment was most notable to me, Mr. Speaker.

After negotiations with regular MLAs, the government committed an additional $4 million per year in ongoing funding for the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation. This much needed funding will provide financial support for home repair, fuel tank replacements, home purchase programs, mobility modifications, and to the seniors home subsidy. While this funding does not fully address housing needs in the Northwest Territories, it is a start, Mr. Speaker; and, to me, a reflection that Cabinet is listening.

It is this substantial commitment, along with the promising efforts of the Housing Corporation to change the way it does business, that has secured my support for the 2022-2023 budget. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Member for Frame Lake. To the principle of the bill. Member for Kam Lake.

Merci, Monsieur le President. I'm pretty exhausted. I don't have any formal speaking notes, I don't know how anybody else has managed to pull theirs together. But, you know, it's well known that I fundamentally disagree with Cabinet's fiscal framework that perpetuates overspending on capital, some of which is directed at large infrastructure projects of dubious merit and value.

I criticized this Cabinet for its lack of attention to raising revenues in my reply to the budget address. I advocated for one or more tax brackets for high income earners. I think that we can retain greater benefits from mineral exploration and development by retaining or capturing more royalties from mining and other measures that I identified in my reply to the budget address.

However, I was certainly happy to work with my regular MLA colleagues to secure some compromises and improvements to the budget, and those were highlighted yesterday by the Minister of Finance. And, you know, it was a difficult and challenging process that we went through but those changes that we secured as regular MLAs by working together included, you know, additional funding for housing and for homelessness. And although $4 million as a permanent increase to O and M funding for the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation may not sound like a lot on a $2.2 billion budget, I think it starts to head us in a better direction.

I support additional funding for homelessness shelters and for heritage centres as well.

I think there was a very significant commitment made on nongovernmental organization multiyear funding that will allow for inflationary increases to their funding. I think that's a really significant commitment that Cabinet has made, and I really look forward to that being implemented.

I support increasing tobacco taxes and a reduction in contracted services that were proposed by the -- or committed to by the Minister of Finance as well.

I did mention that I believe this was a very difficult process of negotiating changes, but I certainly appreciate the collaborative approach that was taken in the spirit of compromise, and it's I think a vast difference in approach from how we approached this in the last Assembly. So I want to give my Cabinet colleagues and the Minister of Finance some credit for that.

And I guess in conclusion, Mr. Speaker, I can see my way to support this budget with the reservations that I mentioned earlier. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Member for Monfwi. To the principle of the bill. Member for Frame Lake.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, after trying to get some basic financial information about my region from the government, I was told that the GNWT did not budget in this way and that the information I wanted could not be provided. I decided to do my own work, and I can say it has been an eye opening experience.

Mr. Speaker, if we were to break down the $2 billion operating budget based on population, it amounts to almost $45,000 per person living in the NWT. Based on this estimate, that the Tlicho's share of the operating budget should be about $135 million per year. When I look around Tlicho communities, however, I wonder where is this being spent. According to the sources of information I have, I estimate the amount of money being directly spent in my region to be approximately half of that amount.

The question I keep coming back to then, Mr. Speaker, is what happened to the other $60 million on an annual basis that should be flowing to the people and communities in the Tlicho regions?

Mr. Speaker, the Minister's email provided some insight to this. It talks about work being done that benefits all NWT communities, like the Executive, Indigenous Affairs, education modernizations, curriculum renewal, and MMIWG. There are many more of these types of projects across government, and I'm not saying that these are bad projects or that work should not continue. But using half of our money, or $60 million, to work on GNWT priorities, many of which are out alignment with what is actually needed in my region, is really unfair.

For example, Mr. Speaker, if the GNWT was really interested in improving educational outcomes in my region, changing the Education Act will not have the same impact as addressing the social economic conditions like poverty and housing. A change in education legislation is not going to fix the housing crisis.

When you have eight people living in a three-bedroom unit and children do not have a good night's sleep or no quiet place to study, how do you expect these children to have good attendance and to focus on their education when they are worried about basics like food and shelters? Fixing this problem will do far more to improve educational outcome than some legislation changes.

Mr. Speaker, this government says it wants to work in partnership with Indigenous governments, and it says a lot of the right things. But the way it spends money tells a different story.

The fact that $60 million is allocated to territorial projects without any community consultation sends a message that the GNWT knows better than local leaderships. To add insult to injury, organizations then have to apply for funding that have a lot of restrictions placed on them. The Minister of Health often has spoken about unused pots of funding. Maybe the reason organizations choose not to apply is because of all the restrictions placed on the funding, making it difficult for them to achieve an outcome.

Mr. Speaker, funding restrictions are just a tool that colonial government use to control Indigenous government. If the GNWT is serious about working with Indigenous government, they need to come up with a new fiscal approach that is built on mutual respect and trust instead of control. Just as the federal government trusts this government to make decisions, we need to show Indigenous government that same trust.

Mr. Speaker, I cannot support this budget as it is out of alignment of what my riding really needs. I would like to see the budget change to reflect more small community needs. GNWT is using a large portion of our funding, or $60 million every year, to support territorial projects when my region's basic needs are not being addressed.

My riding priorities are to fix the housing crisis, work on mental health and addictions, and to fix aging infrastructure, infrastructure as previously mentioned. Even if a small portion of the $60 million GNWT is using for its territorial projects were spent towards our priorities, the housing crisis could be resolved over the next couple years.

I believe that all other small NWT communities are in the same situation and are paying a huge price tag for territorial projects that have little benefit for small communities. That is why we continue to see outcomes for people living in small communities. Communities get worse and the widen gap when compared to those people living in the capital or large regional centres.

If you are from small communities, you would understand our struggles and challenges yet we do not hear this from this Cabinet most who are from small northern communities. We feel no one is advocating on our behalf. Remember, there are 32 other communities outside of capitals that matters. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Member for Thebacha. To the principle of the bill. Member for Monfwi.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, today I will be voting against this year's budget for a variety of reasons which I will outline now.

As I said in the March 9th, 2022, Member's statement, the Government of the Northwest Territories budget allocations are not evenly spread across all communities and regions of the Northwest Territories. We see time and time again that the capital region gets most of the funds and everyone else is left to fight over the crumbs. Small communities and regional centres are routinely undercut and forced to fight to get funding at every turn whereas funding for just about everything within the capital region is almost automatically granted.

There is something seriously wrong with that scenario. The current structure of allocated funds within our territorial budget is flawed and needs to be evaluated.

Moreover, Mr. Speaker, one of my top priorities for this year's budget did not get any funding commitments which was to allocate $500,000 to the Salt River First Nation for a tiny home pilot project initiative for homelessness. This would have been a potential solution to address homelessness in a regional centre.

On March 4th, 2022, the Member for Frame Lake, on my behalf, tabled into this Assembly the letter from Salt River First Nation outlining the project proposal. That letter was sent to the Minister of Homelessness and to the Premier on January 21st, 2022, so that Cabinet over two months to consider that project and find at least some funds to support it. All that was offered was to work with Salt River to submit funding applications to the federal government to access certain funding streams.

Well, Mr. Speaker, that is not good enough. Going that route would take too long and this project would not get underway for at least another year or two, if that.

I understand there may have been some concern from our government to fund this project because it was an on-reserve project. Well, our government could have easily reached out to the Indigenous Services Canada to determine a cost sharing arrangement to fund this shovel-ready project this year. But for reasons beyond me, that did not happen.

In contrast, Mr. Speaker, our government received a letter on January 31st, 2022, from the Yellowknife Women's Society requesting funding for the Spruce Bough organization which provides wellness and housing programs to vulnerable people in the capital region.

While I do wholeheartedly support funding for homelessness and wellness programs for the people of the NWT, I strongly urge our government to spread this same support evenly across the board to all communities and regions of the NWT.

In the end, Spruce Bough received a funding commitment almost immediately after their letter was submitted. Although Spruce Bough did not receive the funds they requested, they did receive a substantial amount that was nearly exactly what they asked for.

Furthermore, Mr. Speaker, while it is good to see our government provide the relief funding to many struggling airlines across the NWT, in the latest phase of air aid delivery our government failed to include all airlines for additional financial support.

I spoke about this issue on Monday when I voted against the Supplementary Estimates (Operations Expenditures), No. 3, 2021-2022. I said this to the Minister of Finance, and I still feel this way now, which is that the evaluation process for airline aid delivery is flawed. To only look at a financial snapshot during a very narrow timeframe during a global pandemic is not okay.

In addition, Mr. Speaker, I take issue with the fact that the Department of Finance increased its budget by 13.9 percent for 2022-2023. The Minister of Finance says these extra funds were needed for additional manager-level staff in the department. Well, I just don't understand why we need these additional staff to oversee a budget deficit that continues to accumulate additional debt for the Government of the Northwest Territories. Our government is hiring more staff to help fix a broken system. That just doesn't make sense to me.

Mr. Speaker, another reason I do not support this budget is the Fort Smith Airport runway. While I do appreciate that funding was given to overlay the existing air side surfaces at the Fort Smith Airport, I'm still upset that the width of our airport runway was arbitrarily narrowed by the Department of Infrastructure.

I understand that Transport Canada changed their runway specifications which affects all airports across the country. However, to destroy a perfectly good and effective airport runway that was serving the needs of our community, our airline and our flight school, just doesn't make any sense. I've asked every which way to the Minister of Infrastructure and Finance to change the Fort Smith Airport runway back to its original specifications, but they will not budge from their position. That is extremely disappointing to me and the constituents of Thebacha.

Mr. Speaker, this government has to realize that regional centres and small communities do not have the same level of physical and social infrastructure as the capital region. More attention needs to be paid to the regional centres and small communities to bring them up to par with the level and programs and services as the capital region.

If this is truly a consensus style of government, then the MLAs from outside the capital region need to have a better say in which goes on into the budget. If we as ordinary MLAs feel that we cannot enter the front door, how is a regular person off the street going to enter that door to advocate the issues they need to be addressed to our Cabinet.

In all my time as an ordinary Member of this Assembly, I have not once seen an MLA from the capital have to advocate for funding on the floor of the House.

Mr. Speaker, another thing I am disappointed in is the lack of support given to my constituent who endured a tornado that destroyed his home. I know that the NWT Housing and MACA did reach out to that constituent and worked with him to some extent but I still maintain that he was shortchanged and did not receive adequate support that could have been provided.

Also, one other issue I feel the NWT is lacking in is policing in the smaller communities and regional centres.

The Minister of Justice once told me that the NWT has the highest per capita ratio of RCMP officers for our population than anywhere else in the country. Well, despite that fact I still feel that the level of policing is not sufficient and is not addressing all the crime taking place within our communities, particularly when it comes to drug issues that all the people of the NWT are dealing with.

Mr. Speaker, to vote against this budget is not a decision that I have made lightly. I have put a lot of thought into this decision and for these reasons, I will be voting against this budget. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Member for Hay River South. To the principle of the bill. Member for Thebacha.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the reason I put my name forward for the office that I now hold was to advocate for the community of Hay River and to give a voice to those that may not always be heard. At times, one finds themselves painted into a corner. This becomes commonplace for those who represent constituents from regional and small communities. Supports and services required by those in regional and small communities is not always in synch with what bureaucracy has planned.

The reality is that government is managed by a bureaucracy located in Yellowknife that may, through no fault of their own, not have a sense of small community living, amenities, and issues. This often translates into budgets, supports and programming that appear unfriendly and not understanding of the reality of communities outside Yellowknife.

Mr. Speaker, today we have the main estimates in front of us and we are expected to vote in favour or against them.

With this budget, the government is attempting to move forward the mandate and priority items for each department while making sure this government continues operating beyond today. This is a daunting task as it may require favouring one region over another, one community over another, one program over another, one project over another, one issue over another, and one MLA over another. In the end, it is about making decisions to direct limited funding to grow regions and communities while supporting and advancing the growth of the economy and infrastructure of the Northwest Territories.

Mr. Speaker, the NWT is made up of 33 communities, with all 33 not being treated fairly when it comes to financial support from this government.

Outside Yellowknife, we have a range of issues that include lack of housing, homelessness, mental health, addictions, policing, access to proper health care, education, aged infrastructure, failing road systems, diminished resource development, inadequate communication systems, increasing community funding gap, unsettled claims, cost of living increases, recruitment and retention of qualified staff through all departments; all impacting the lives of have-not communities.

Mr. Speaker, when Yellowknife requires a day shelter, a public emergency is declared which comes with $175K of monthly operating funding while the communities are told to use the community sports centre or other facilities as day shelters.

When Yellowknife requires $2.2 million in funding for housing and wellness, it only requires a one-page letter to this government while the communities are told there is no more funding.

When there is a need for more housing in Yellowknife this government purchases a 24-unit apartment building in Yellowknife for $2 million plus.

When the Hay River Ski Club requests $150K to support sports, physical fitness and mental health for youth post-COVID, they are told to go and fundraise at a time when residents just don't have any more to give.

Community governments are experiencing financial hardship due to an ever increasing funding gap at a time when aged infrastructure needs replacing as well.

Mr. Speaker, this government has a shortage of qualified workers.

With an Affirmative Action Policy that was designed to raise the number of Indigenous persons employed in the public sector, the question is: Can we achieve that equity with the pool of qualified Indigenous people living in the NWT?

Reviewing statistics, I believe many of the qualified Indigenous people are working but continue to experience disadvantages as they are often overlooked for advancement and training.

If we expect to meet Indigenous employment targets, this government needs to provide the resources to educate Indigenous youth and position them to take over the roles many of us are in. In the interim, if we are to grow the North we need persons from all professions with various education, experience and skills who are willing to make the NWT their home. While we provide incentives to encourage people to move here to work, we must also provide those same or similar incentives to those already living and working here.

Mr. Speaker, this government talks about the need for housing, trades, and jobs. Then it goes out and purchases manufactured homes from the south which provides no sustainable impact on the community or the economy of the NWT. Going forward, we must support a combination of stick-built and NWT manufactured homes with those manufactured homes to built in the North.

The community of Hay River, with its access to marine transportation services, highway access, rail access, and access to what should be cheap hydro, is the most feasible place to support manufacturing initiatives. This government has yet to realize the potential for manufacturing in the community of Hay River and therefore does not provide adequate supports required to advance it. The market for manufactured goods would not only be the NWT. And, when we consider Hay River's proximity to the south, the possibilities are endless.

Mr. Speaker, the mineral resource sector has played a significant role in the development of the Northwest Territories. The 19th Legislative Assembly recognized that fact and committed support to increase resource exploration and development. We know that the NWT is rich in minerals and oil and gas. The stumbling block is access and the cost of that access.

If we expect the NWT to grow, we need roads to resources and communities and that, Mr. Speaker, starts with the Mackenzie Valley Highway. This government must work strategically and quickly with the federal government and industry to make this a real priority. The Mackenzie Valley Highway would not only support industry but it would also support access to the south for those communities along its route while forming a loop with the Dempster Highway which would increase tourism opportunities as well.

Further, it would work towards lowering the cost of living for residents while providing access to education, jobs, business opportunities, improved communication systems, and housing for regional and smaller communities. This is where we must direct additional financial support.

Mr. Speaker, workforce priorities are changing which is impacting our ability to recruit and retain professionals throughout government and the private sector.

One area of concern is health care. Over the past two years we have seen the demand for healthcare workers increase and our success to recruit lessened. The reality is that the workforce is changing, workers priorities are changing, and the demand for healthcare workers is on the rise. It is therefore important this government adapt to that change and find creative ways to recruit professional healthcare staff that will provide for consistent, timely, and quality healthcare services to the residents of the Northwest Territories. We need to place additional resources into this area as it directly impacts the health and lives of all residents.

Mr. Speaker, further to health care, there remains issues with medical escorts and travel costs.

With respect to medical travel, we need to revisit the allocation for meals and accommodations. The amounts provided are not sufficient and need to align with what government employees receive while on duty travel. $18 a day for meals and $50 per day for accommodation is not acceptable and unfair to those who are on limited income.

To reach this goal, and because the cost could be substantive, it will require conversations with the federal government to secure additional funding to offset the increase.

Mr. Speaker, this budget may have its faults but the government has promised additional funding of $4 million for housing programs, $500,000 for heritage centres, $2.2 million for homelessness shelters, and multiyear funding agreements that allow for inflationary increases for those third parties who deliver core government programs and services on behalf of the government.

To pay for this, in addition to $2.4 million cut to contract services, we can expect an increase in tobacco tax which will generate up to $3.5 million annually.

These additional financial commitments by government are welcomed and confirms the fact that government is listening to the people of the NWT. Does it go far enough? Probably not. But it is a move in the right direction and we must recognize that fact.

Mr. Speaker, will this budget pass? I expect it will however I am hopeful that this government listened to what we had to say and in their deliberations considered our requests along with information included it in their decision-making processes. We, as Regular MLAs, may not have received everything we requested in this budget but that should not stop the dialogue from continuing as we move forward, as it is not about us. More importantly it is about the people of the Northwest Territories.

Although I will vote against this budget, I hold no ill feelings or animosity to those on the other side of this House as they had a job to do as well. However, this is an opportunity where we can agree to disagree while highlighting inequities between Yellowknife, regional centres and small communities. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.