Marsi cho, Mr. Chair. The committee wishes to consider the following documents: Bill 17, An Act to Amend the Corrections Act; Bill 18, An Act to Amend the Legal Profession Act; Bill 19, An Act to Amend the Student Financial Assistance Act; and, lastly, Tabled Document 217-19(2), Supplementary Estimates (Operations Expenditures), No. 2, 2020-2021. Marsi cho, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, committee. We will take a short, five-minute break. Thank you.

---SHORT RECESS

I will call the Committee of the Whole back to order. Committee, we have agreed to consider Bill 17, An Act to Amend the Corrections Act. I will ask the Minister of Justice to introduce the bill.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I am here today to present Bill 17, An Act to Amend the Corrections Act. I would like to thank the Standing Committee on Accountability and Oversight for their review and for Members supporting the expedited consideration of this bill. As work progressed on the development of regulations to support the coming into force of the new NWT Corrections Act, the department concluded that Section 42 of the act lacked clarity. This section deals with the process for when the rules of a correctional centre are believed to have been breached by an inmate and when disciplinary or corrective measures are subsequently taken.

The amendment will ensure that inmates are properly informed of the reasons for both a finding of guilt and the imposition of a disciplinary or corrective measure. It will clarify their right to appeal both decisions, and it will ensure that the director of investigations and standards has sufficient authority to either reject an appeal or provide an inmate with redress. This will support procedural fairness for inmates and their right of appeal under the act. This concludes my opening remarks, and I would be pleased to answer any questions that Members may have regarding Bill 17. Thank you.

Thank you, Minister. Minister, would you like to bring witnesses into the Chamber?

Yes, I would.

Sergeant-at-Arms, please escort the witnesses into the Chamber. Minister, please introduce your witnesses.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. We have Mr. Mike Reddy, director of legislation, and Mr. Blair Van Metre, director of corrections services.

Thank you. I will now open the floor to general comments on Bill 17. Does the committee agree that there are no further general comments?

Can we proceed to a clause-by-clause review of the bill?

Committee, we will defer the bill number and title under the consideration of the clauses. Please turn to page 1 of the bill. Clauses 1, does committee agree?

---Causes 1 through 3 inclusive approved

To the bill as a whole, does committee agree that Bill 17, An Act to Amend the Corrections Act is now ready for third reading?

Thank you, committee. Bill 17, An Act to Amend the Corrections Act, is now ready for third reading. Does committee agree that this concludes our consideration of Bill 17, An Act to Amend the Corrections Act?

Thank you, Minister, and our thanks to your witnesses. Sergeant-at-Arms, please escort the witnesses from the Chamber. Committee, we have agreed to consider Bill 18, An Act to Amend the Legal Profession Act. I will ask the Minister of Justice to introduce the bill.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I am here today to present Bill 18, An Act to Amend the Legal Profession Act. I would like to thank the Standing Committee on Accountability and Oversight for their review and to Members for supporting the expedited consideration of this bill. The purpose of Bill 18 is to remove the requirement that an applicant for admission as a member of the NWT Law Society must be physically present in the NWT to take and sign the oath or affirmation before a judge that is required before engaging in the practice of law in the NWT.

This amendment is expected to remove unnecessary costs to lawyers associated with the current requirement and to increase the pool of lawyers that can be accessed to provide services in the Northwest Territories. This issue was raised by the law society, which has indicated its support of the bill. This concludes my opening remarks, and I would be pleased to answer any questions that Members may have regarding Bill 18. Thank you.

Minister, would you like to bring witnesses into the Chamber?

Yes, please.

Sergeant-at-Arms, please escort the witnesses into the Chamber. Minister, please introduce your witnesses.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Again, we have Mr. Mike Reddy, director of legislation. [Microphone turned off]

I will now open the floor to general comments on Bill 18. Would the Minister please introduce your witnesses.

Thank you. Perhaps we could have the witnesses introduce themselves.

Thank you. I will now open the floor to general comments on Bill 18. Member for Frame Lake.

Thanks, Mr. Chair. I am going to keep this pretty short. This and the previous bill got moved into committee vote because I think they are largely non-controversial changes. On this one, it would be my preference that this issue of having lawyers getting restricted appearance certificates if this new process was just during the pandemic, but I understand that the profession wants this done on a permanent basis. I am not going to stand in the way of that, but it is kind of unusual that we move these straight into Committee of the Whole. Given that it's, as I said, non-controversial and I think there is some other important business that we need to deal with, I am fine having an expedited review and support this bill. Thanks, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Member. Minister.

Thank you. First, I want to apologize to Mr. Patzer, whose name escaped me. He is probably the first person in the Department of Justice that I met, about six years ago, so my apologies on that one. This bill, it's also important because we are in a situation where, for a lawyer to come up to the territory, they would have to self-isolate for two weeks. We are in a situation where there is a backup of cases, and we need this service. I thank the committee for working with the department to move this along. Thank you.

Thank you, Minister. Does the committee agree that there are no further general comments?

Can we proceed to a clause-by-clause review of the bill?

Committee, we will defer the bill number and title until after consideration of the clauses. Please turn to page 1 of the bill.

---Clauses 1 and 2 inclusive approved

Committee, to the bill as a whole. Does committee agree that Bill 18, An Act to Amend the Legal Profession Act, is now ready for third reading?

Thank you, committee. Bill 18, An Act to Amend the Legal Profession Act, is now ready for third reading. Does committee agree that this concludes our consideration of Bill 18, An Act to Amend the Legal Profession Act?

Thank you, Minister, and our thanks to your witnesses. Sergeant-at-Arms, please escort the witnesses from the Chamber. Committee, we have agreed to consider Bill 19, An Act to Amend the Student Financial Assistance Act. I will ask the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment to introduce the bill.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I am here today to present Bill 19, An Act to Amend the Student Financial Assistance Act. This bill seeks to amend the act to prohibit the disclosure of personal information of individuals who have successfully applied for remission of student loans. The proposed amendment, by forbidding the publication of personal information, will protect the privacy of successful applicants to the student loan remission program. This will allow residents to take advantage of the remission program without having their names published in the public accounts or any other public documents.

I am pleased to bring forward this amendment that addresses the recommendations of stakeholders, including the Standing Committee on Government Operations, in 2017. I want to thank the Member for Frame Lake in particular for raising this issue time and time again, and thank Committee for fast-tracking the bill this sitting. This concludes my opening remarks, and I would be pleased to answer any questions that Members may have regarding Bill 19. Thank you.

Minister, would you like to bring witnesses into the Chamber?

Yes, I would.

Sergeant-at-Arms, please escort the witnesses into the Chamber. Minister, please introduce your witnesses.

I would like to introduce Mr. Michael Saturnino, the assistant deputy minister of Labour and Income Security, and Ms. Mikaela Robertson, legislative counsel with the Department of Justice.

Thank you, Minister. I will now open the floor to general comments on Bill 19. Member for Frame Lake.

Thanks, Mr. Chair. I want to keep this really brief. Again, I want to thank the Minister and his staff for working collaboratively on this issue and bringing this forward in a timely fashion and all my colleagues for agreeing to expedite this so that we don't have to publish the names and amounts of student loan remissions in future public accounts. Thanks again to the Minister for his work on this. Thanks, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Member. Is the committee agreed that there are no further general comments?

Can we proceed to a clause-by-clause review of the bill?

Committee, we will defer the bill number and title until after consideration of the clauses. Please turn to page 1 of the bill.

---Clauses 1 and 2 inclusive approved

Committee, to the bill as a whole. Does committee agree that Bill 19, An Act to Amend the Student Financial Assistance Act, is now ready for third reading?

Thank you, committee. Bill 19, An Act to Amend the Student Financial Assistance Act, is now ready for third reading. Does committee agree that this concludes our consideration of Bill 19, An Act to Amend the Student Financial Assistance Act?

Thank you, Minister, and our thanks to your witnesses. Sergeant-at-Arms, please escort the witnesses from the Chamber. Committee, we will take a 10-minute break as I get reorganized for the next part.

---SHORT RECESS

We'll call Committee of the Whole back to order. Committee, we have agreed to consider Tabled Document 217-19(2), Supplementary Estimates (Operations Expenditures) No. 2, 2020-2021. Does the Minister of Finance have any opening remarks?

Mr. Chair, I am here to present Supplementary Estimates (Operations Expenditures) No. 2, 2020-2021.

The Supplementary Estimates document proposes to add $88.7 million to the 2020-2021 operating budget, comprised of the following major items: $79 million to support the GNWT's health and economic response to COVID-19, including:

• $31.7 million under the umbrella of the COVID secretariat to protect the territory from COVID-19. Bringing existing functions together under the secretariat will help us better meet demand, ensure more efficient use of the GNWT's fiscal resources, and provide a clearer point of accountability for the ongoing implementation of the public health orders. The costs associated with the secretariat will be partially offset by funding received from Crown‐Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada under the first Northern Bundle.
• $29.1 million to support programs under the Canada-Northwest Territories Safe Restart Agreement and second Northern Bundle, including: $2.7 million to support childcare for returning workers; $9 million to support increased capacity in the health system; $3.6 million for personal protective equipment for health and non-health care workers; $3.5 million to support testing, contract tracing, and data management;
• $29.1 million to support programs under the Canada-Northwest Territories Safe Restart Agreement and second Northern Bundle, including: $2.7 million to support childcare for returning workers; $9 million to support increased capacity in the health system; $3.6 million for personal protective equipment for health and non-health care workers; $3.5 million to support testing, contact tracing, and data management; $5.6 million to support our vulnerable population; and $4.7 million to support communities. $26.7 million of these costs will be offset by funding from the Government of Canada.
• $23.2 million to support the NWT aviation sector, of which $17.1 million is offset by funding from Transport Canada.
• $9.7 million to support the safe re-opening of schools in the Northwest Territories, of which $4.8 million will be offset by funding from the Government of Canada.
• $3.9 million to establish the Regional Relief and Recovery Fund, which is fully offset by funding received from the Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency.
• $1.6 million to support Northwest Territories sports organizations by providing relief under the COVID-19 Emergency Support for Sport Organizations agreement, which is fully offset by funding from the Government of Canada.

That concludes my opening remarks, Mr. Chair. I would be happy to answer any questions that Members might have. Thank you.

Thank you, Minister. Does the Minister of Finance wish to bring witnesses into the House?

Yes I do.

Sergeant-at-Arms, please escort the witnesses into the Chamber. Would the Minister please introduce her witnesses?

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, today we have the deputy minister of Finance, Sandy Kalgutkar, and Jamie Koe, deputy secretary to the Financial Management Board.

Thank you, Minister. I will now open the floor for general comments. Seeing no further general comments, we will review the supplementary estimates by department. Committee has agreed to begin the review with the Department of Education, Culture and Employment. I will now open the floor to general comments on the Department of Education, Culture and Employment. If there are no further comments, does the committee agree to proceed to the detail contained in the tabled document?

Committee, we will begin at page 4. Supplementary Estimates (Operations Expenditures), No. 2, 2020-2021, Department of Education, Culture and Employment, early childhood and school services not previously authorized, $10,901,000. Does committee agree?

Please turn to page 5. Supplementary Estimates (Operations Expenditures), No. 2, 2020-2021, Department of Education, Culture and Employment, income security, not previously authorized, $2,551,000. Member for Yellowknife North.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I see there is an increase to income security here, but I also remember previously that our projections for income security as a whole and income assistance, which is income assistance, were going to be much higher due to COVID-19. Can I just get an update of whether we have those projections or if we expect another supplementary appropriation under the income security head? Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Member. Minister.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I do not have any information. I don't have those numbers in front of me, but I would ask that you check if the deputy minister might have those numbers. Thank you.

Thank you, Minister. Deputy minister.

Thank you, Deputy Minister. Supplementary Estimates (Operations Expenditures), No. 2, 2020-2021, Department of Education, Culture and Employment, income security, not previously authorized, $2,551,000. Does committee agree?

Supplementary Estimates (Operations Expenditures), No. 2, 2020-2021, Department of Education, Culture and Employment, total department, not previously authorized, $13,452,000. Does committee agree?

Committee, we will now consider the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, page 8. I will now open the floor to general comments on the Department of Environment and Natural Resources. If there are no further comments, does the committee agree to proceed to the detail contained in the tabled document?

Committee, we are on page 6. Supplementary Estimates (Operations Expenditures), No. 2, 2020-2021, Department of Environment and Natural Resources, corporate management, not previously authorized, $58,000. Does committee agree?

Supplementary Estimates (Operations Expenditures), No. 2, 2020-2021, Department of Environment and Natural Resources, total department, not previously authorized, $58,000. Does committee agree?

Committee, we will now consider the Department of Finance on page 7. I will now open the floor to general comments on the Department of Finance. If there are no further comments, does the committee agree to proceed to the detail contained in the tabled document?

Committee, we are on page 7. Supplementary Estimates (Operations Expenditures), No. 2, 2020-2021, Department of Finance, information systems shared services, not previously authorized, $2,412,000. Member for Yellowknife North.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I was looking for this money in Education, Culture and Employment, but I see some of it is here in Finance, the money to safely reopen NWT schools. I know some of this money came from the Government of Canada. I am very happy to see it. I know many of our school boards are struggling. They don't have the ability to run a deficit or to rack up debt such as we do, so their fiscals are much tighter. I guess my question is: after we approve this, when can we see that money actually get to the school boards, and is it being agreed upon how it will be distributed to the education authorities? Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Member. Minister.

I suggest that go to the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment, please.

Thank you, Minister. Minister of Education, Culture and Employment.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. There is money in Finance and there is money in ECE because the funding initiative was a joint venture. Finance provided funds for the technology, primarily, so the Chromebooks, Internet access, and things like that. The work to get those out the door is underway. For the most part, the total amount of money is being split evenly between the school boards. There were some school boards that needed additional teaching positions, so note that money is flowing to those specific school boards versus those that did not need those positions. We have allocated a good chunk of the education authorities' budget already, so it's not like this money is needed at this point. Right now, they do not need to spend this money. They have the money they can spend right now, but this is to cover additional expenses that will be incurred. I have not heard any concerns from any of the school boards about being able to spend the money. It's getting to them when it needs to get to them. Thank you.

Thank you, Minister. No further comments? Member for Frame Lake.

Thanks, Mr. Chair. Can I just get a little bit more detail on the split here between Education, Culture and Employment and Finance? What specifically are these funds for with the Department of Finance, and what do they have to do with safely reopening schools? Thanks, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Member. Minister.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. The portion of the funding that is coming from the ISSS is for the technology component so, more specifically, to include a procurement of 1,641 Chromebooks, as well as Turbo Sticks, which is meant right immediately to provide an ability for students to access online school resources and to help reduce the costs to their families. There is also a reserve of 750 units that is also being procured so that, in the event that they may need more of those units quickly, they are available. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Minister. Member for Frame Lake.

Thanks, Mr. Chair. Look, I think it is worthwhile to make sure that students have computers for distance education, so can someone explain to me who is eligible for these Chromebooks? Is it public school students, high school students? Is it based on need? Is there some geographic distribution? Who is actually eligible for them? Thanks, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Member. Minister.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. While the acquisition, distribution, and inventory does go through ISSS, I would suggest that we go to the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment again for any details with respect to the students specifically.

Thank you, Minister. Minister of Education, Culture and Employment.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Primarily, most students are able to attend school full-time, and that is especially true for most students between junior kindergarten and grade nine. There are a few students in grade 10, 11, and some in grade 12 who do have to, at this point, attend school part-time, whether it's every second day, whether it's in the mornings and not the afternoons. Those are the students who are being targeted. There are also students who are over 19 who aren't allowed back in the schools by order of the Chief Public Health Officer, and so they have to participate remotely.

ECE, Finance, and the school boards are all working collaboratively to determine where to best put those resources, so there are daily conversations with the superintendents and with ECE to make sure that those units get to where they need to go to. Some schools have also used their own funds to purchase Chromebooks and other technology, and they are distributing that as they need. I won't say it complicates the matter, but it means that there won't be a division of these units on a per-capita basis. It's being done collaboratively, I can assure the Member of that. The school boards are full partners in the distribution of this technology. Thank you.

Thank you, Minister. No further comments? Supplementary Estimates (Operations Expenditures), No. 2, 2020-2021, Department of Finance, information systems shared services, not previously authorized, $2,412,000. Does committee agree?

Supplementary Estimates (Operations Expenditures), No. 2, 2020-2021, Department of Finance, Management Board Secretariat, not previously authorized, negative $185,000. Does committee agree? Member for Frame Lake.

Thanks, Mr. Chair. I'm just trying to figure out why there is a negative figure in here. Did we overpay airlines? What is happening here? Thanks, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Member. Minister.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. There are two things being reflected under this section. The first is the funding to the airlines, a large proportion of which did come through Transport Canada. Then the second part is that there is a transfer of funding here to Health and Social Services that came in through Finance as part of the federal government supports. It's just the way that it has worked out that it looks like a negative, but it's because it includes both those two portions. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Minister. Member for Frame Lake.

Thanks, Mr. Chair. I want to thank my colleague from Nunakput who raised this concern earlier this week, about what, if any, strings were attached to the airline assistance, maintaining minimum levels of service to communities, and so on. Can someone just explain to me a little bit more about how that works? What kinds of strings are attached, if any, to the funding to the airlines? Thanks, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Member. Minister.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. The first round of funding came in without the same sorts of strings attached, but when a second round of funding came through, there are requirements now that the airlines that are benefitting do have to sign an agreement with the Department of Finance. It includes minimum service schedules. I would also note, Mr. Chair, there is a small hold-back amount where they have to report back to the Department of Finance before the complete amount is paid out to them. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Minister. Member for Frame Lake.

Thanks, Mr. Chair. I don't need this information now, but can the Minister commit to sharing what those minimum service levels are with Regular MLAs so we have some sense of what the airlines are committing to? I think that is probably of interest, particularly for the MLAs from smaller, remote communities. Can the Minister commit to sharing that information with us? If it needs to be done in confidence, I'm fine with that, but I think it would be helpful to have. Thanks, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Member. I see her and her entourage shaking their heads yes. Minister?

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Yes, I am happy to make that commitment. I would just say for the moment that we may have to do it confidentially. I don't have the contribution agreement in front of me. In the event that there is something in that agreement that would require it to be confidential, we'll do so. Otherwise, one way or the other, we'll make sure to share it.

Supplementary Estimates (Operations Expenditures), No. 2, 2020-2021, Department of Finance, Management Board Secretariat, not previously authorized, negative $185,000. Does committee agree?