Masi. Tabling of documents. Item 15, notices of motion. Member for Frame Lake.

Merci, Monsieur le President. I give notice that on Thursday, March 1, 2018, I will move the following motion: I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Great Slave, that, notwithstanding Rule 4, when this House adjourns on March 1, 2018, it shall be adjourned until Tuesday, March 6, 2018;

And further, that any time prior to March 6, 2018, if the Speaker is satisfied, after consultation with the Executive Council and Members of the Legislative Assembly, that the public interest requires that the House should meet at an earlier time during the adjournment, the Speaker may give notice and thereupon the House shall meet at the time stated in such notice and shall transact its business as it has been duly adjourned to that time. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Notices of motion. Item 16, notices of motion for first reading of bills. Item 17, motions. Item 18, first reading of bills. Item 19, second reading of bills. Item 20, consideration in Committee of the Whole of bills and other matters: Minister's Statement 1-18(3), North Slave Correctional Complex Inmate Concerns; Minister's Statement 19-18(3), Aurora College Foundational Review Process; Minister's Statement 32-18(3), Update on the Northwest Territories Disability Framework and Action Plan; and Tabled Document 63-18(3), Main Estimates 2018-2019. By the authority given to me as Speaker by Motion 7-18(3), I hereby authorize the House to sit beyond the daily hour of adjournment to consider the business before the House, with the Member for Hay River North in the chair.

I now call Committee of the Whole to order. What is the wish of committee? Mr. Beaulieu.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, committee would like to consider Tabled Document 63-18(3), Main Estimates 2018-2019, with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Thank you, Mr. Beaulieu. Does committee agree?

Thank you, committee. We will commence our consideration of the document. Well, you know what, committee, how about this? We will take a five-minute break and then we'll get right into it. Thank you.

---SHORT RECESS

I will call the committee back to order. Committee, we have agreed to consider Tabled Document 63-18(3), Main Estimates 2018-2019, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, which begins on page 61 of the document. I will turn to the Minister responsible, for any opening comments. Do you have opening comments, Minister McLeod? If so, please proceed.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, I am pleased to present the 2018-2019 Main Estimates for the Department of Environment and Natural Resources. Overall, the department’s estimates propose a decrease of $2.498 million or 2.5 per cent of the 2017-2018 Main Estimates, and the net reduction of one position.

Highlights of the proposed estimates include:

• New funding of $482,000 to improve existing climate change resilience and adaptation capacity, $475,000 to assist with the implementation of the agriculture strategy through related animal health initiatives and a review of waste resource practices, $440,000 to support the establishment and monitoring of candidate protected areas, $412,000 to develop a NWT-wide country food strategy and associated programming, and $310,000 to support the continued well-being of the Bathurst caribou herd;

• Forced growth in this year’s estimates is $72,000 to increase the contracts to community organizations for the provision of forest fire personnel;

• Expanding the department’s capacity by $103,000 and half a position to provide French-language communications and services; and

• The department’s continued support toward a fiscally responsible budget by reducing $1.3 million in recognized efficiencies in preparation for wildland fires, $468,000 to continue the implementation of reductions approved in the 2017-2018 budget, and $250,000 to recognize the reduced operational requirement for equipment at the Taiga Environmental Lab.

These estimates continue to support the priorities of the 18th Legislative Assembly in the areas of:

• Collaborating and fostering government-to-government relationships with Indigenous governments in the program areas of wildlife, forestry, water, conservation, and environment;

• Improving food security by encouraging local food production, traditional harvesting, and effective co-management of caribou herds and other wildlife species;

• Investing in forestry, agriculture, and traditional harvesting and sustainable on-the-land livelihoods for residents of the NWT;

• Improving coordination and effectiveness in resource management systems, recognizing traditional knowledge, land claims agreements, and devolution;

• Implementing a strategy to mitigate and adapt to climate change in collaboration with other governments and organizations; and

• Continuing with the department’s legislative initiatives to amend the Environmental Protection Act, the Environmental Rights Act, the Forest Management and Protection Act, the Waters Act, and to create new legislation for protected areas.

That concludes my opening remarks, and I look forward to answering questions from Members. Thank you.

Thank you, Minister. I understand that you have witnesses you wish to bring into the Chamber. Sergeant-at-Arms, would you please escort the witnesses into the Chamber. Minister, you may take your seat at the witness table. Minister, would you please introduce your witnesses for the record.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, to my right, I have Dr. Joe Dragon, who is the deputy minister of Environment and Natural Resources. To my left, I have Ms. Susan Craig, who is our director of corporate services. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Minister. Committee, we previously agreed to forego opening comments. Does committee again agree that we forego opening comments for the department?

Thank you, committee. The departmental total can be found on page 65, but as usual, we will defer consideration of the total department until after we consider each activity. The department consists of six activities, with five additional information items found at the end of the section.

The first activity, conservation, assessment, and monitoring, is found on page 69. This activity is $7,926,000. Does committee have comments or questions? Mr. O'Reilly.

Thanks, Mr. Chair. I want to start by asking some questions about conservation planning. When can we expect that there is going to be a public announcement about Thaidene Nene being formally established? Thanks, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Mr. O'Reilly. Minister.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, we are still in the negotiating phase. We have a few more items to discuss. My understanding is they are working on those as we speak, and we should be in a position to come with an announcement as soon as they iron out these last few details. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you. Mr. O'Reilly.

Thank you. Minister.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, my understanding is the land transfer agreement just has to be finalized, and again, my understanding is that we are very close to finalizing that. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you. Mr. O'Reilly.

Thanks, Mr. Chair. In the Minister's opening remarks, and it is found in the budget address as well, there is $440,000 of new funding for conservation area planning. Is any of that for Thaidene Nene? Thank you, Mr. Chair.