Thank you, Mr. Chair. I want to state my strong support for this bill. I think that it creates a very effective way to support modest- to low-income families through the enhanced NWT Child Benefit. It's a very progressive piece of government policy. It's income-tested and it's going to apply to I think the total number is 2,000 families after it is implemented. The only regret I have is that it's not a mandate commitment, and I believe it should be. It directly speaks to our support for lowering the cost of living. It directly speaks to our support for families in need. It's a very good piece.

The other parts of the bill, although less significant, are certainly required in order to modernize the legislation and update it vis-a-vis federal statutes. The committee did take its time to properly understand the NWT Child Benefit. There was a bit of confusion on how the bill was initially presented, but I'd like to also thank the department for taking the time to work with us to clearly express our concerns around how this bill was going to roll out.

I think the Minister, again, is deserving of some praise for effectively communicating both the policy objectives and the funding for this very important measure to alleviate poverty and give Northerners a leg up. With that, I will close my comments. Again, I state my very strong support for this bill. Thank you.