Committee, we will begin on page 5. 2019-2020 Supplementary Estimates No. 4, Education, Culture and Employment, income security, not previously authorized, $4,740,000. Does committee agree?

Education, Culture and Employment, total department, not previously authorized, $4,740,000. Does committee agree?

Thank you. Now for general comments on the Department of Environment and Natural Resources. Member for Frame Lake.

Thanks, Madam Chair. Can the Minister explain what this funding is for? It is rather vague, the description that is here for the environmental stewardship and climate change item, $2.5 million. Thanks, Madam Chair.

Thank you, Member for Frame Lake. Minister of Finance.

Thank you, Madam Chair. This funding is to support the Department of ENR in terms of the establishment and operation of territorial protected areas, including Thaidene Nene, Ts'ude Niline Tuyeta, Dinaga Wek'ehodi. That is the purpose of the application.

Thank you, Minister. Member for Frame Lake.

Thank you, Member for Frame Lake. Minister of Finance.

Thank you, Madam Chair. The funding does expire in 2023 under the current agreement. I have confirmed prior to today with the Minister of Environment and Natural Resources that his department is actively working to ensure that there is stable funding beyond 2023. I can at least provide that assurance that that work is actively under way.

Thank you, Minister. Member for Frame Lake.

Thanks, Madam Chair. Yes, that's great. At some point, though, this government has to start to make an investment in the conservation economy, just as it supports mining and other areas of our economy. This is something we're going to have to take on and not just rely on the feds to continue to fund. Is that something this government is prepared to do? Thanks, Madam Chair.

Thank you. Member for Frame Lake. Minister of Finance.

Madam Chair, given that approximately 81 percent of our total budget comes from the feds, it's a question of how we go about asking and seeking the money that we are receiving to provide the services that we are to the people of the Northwest Territories, and I am confident that we will continue to engage in some active and creative partnerships with all partners so that we can continue to provide those kinds of services. Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you, Minister of Finance. If there are no further comments, does committee agree to proceed to -- Member for Yellowknife North.

Thank you, Madam Chair. Just looking at the $1,670,000 for increased costs associated with fire suppression, can the Minister explain what that is in regard to?

Thank you, Member for Yellowknife North. Minister of Finance.

Thank you, Madam Chair. There was an overage in terms of the costs of fighting fires in the last fiscal year. In particular, this arose toward the end of the fire season, and in particular in the North Slave region with fires that were started late, and all started roughly within the same period of time, which demanded a significant amount of resources that had to be marshalled in order to fight those fires. The supplementary appropriation is in response to that effort.

Thank you, Minister. Member for Yellowknife North.

Thank you, Madam Chair. I am looking at the revised main estimates, and it appears we've budgeted a slight increase for forest management for fighting fires, but my understanding was that it was a largely a wet fire season, and $1 million total supplementary appropriation for fighting fires is a low amount. Can the Minister just give a bit of a better idea of what we can expect going forward in seeing supplemental appropriations for fires? Are we currently budgeting enough to fight fires on average, year after year?

Thank you, Member for Yellowknife North. Minister of Finance.

Thank you, Madam Chair. Two questions there. With respect to the first, I'm fairly confident that the need to do fire suppression is exactly the example of why we have supplementary appropriations. I am not going to be in a position to necessarily predict that; however, what I can say is that, with respect to the forest growth submission, or the submissions as part of the mains, rather, is meant to address the fact that we were providing for our air tanker fleet out of that fire suppression fund, and now we are going to be directing funds to air tankers in part of the main estimates, so that the fund that is directed to actually fighting the fires will go to fighting the fires. That is hoped to be a better way of utilizing those dollars, so that they can be used in response to fires and not in response to tanker maintenance.