Thank you, Mr. Norn. We will proceed with that item after a short break.

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Committee, we have agreed to consider Tabled Document 30-19(2), Main Estimates 2020-2021. Does the Department of Finance have any opening remarks?

Yes. Thank you, Madam Chair. I am here to present the 2020-2021 Main Estimates for the Department of Finance. Overall, the department's estimates propose an increase of $21.3 million or 8.1 percent over the 2019-2020 Main Estimates. These estimates support our government's objective to prioritize responsible and strategic spending while matching the modest expected revenue growth over the coming year.

Highlights of these proposed estimates include:

• $7.8 million in forced growth, which includes $4.5 million in short-term debt servicing requirements and $3.3 million in UNW collective bargaining increases;
• $10.6 million for the delivery of rebates created to offset the cost related to the implementation of the Northwest Territories Carbon Tax; and
• $3.6 million in restatements, which includes $1.4 million to support the Northwest Territories Health and Social Services Authority's conversion to the System for Accountability and Management and the transfer of those functions to Financial and Employee Shared Services, and $2.2 million for the transfer of amortization expenses for technology assets that were transferred to the Department of Finance as a result of the creation of the new Information System Shared Services Branch.

These estimates continue to support the priorities of the 19^th Legislative Assembly by:

• Streamlining the financial processing for all GNWT departments and the newly integrated Northwest Territories Health and Social Services Authorities;
• Supporting and managing the GNWT's information security and technology resources through the Information Systems Shared Services branch; and
• Ensuring that GNWT departments have the support they need to manage both human and financial resources appropriately.

That concludes my opening remarks, Madam Chair. Thank you.

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

Yes, Madam Chair. Thank you.

Thank you. Sergeant-at-Arms, could you please escort the witnesses into the Chamber. Would the Minister please introduce her witness.

Madam Chair, thank you. To my left, I have Sandy Kalgutkar, the deputy minister of the Department of Finance.

Thank you. We will proceed to review the departments for the budget, starting with the Department of Finance. I will now open the floor to general comments on this particular department. Thank you. If there are no opening comments, does the committee agree to proceed to the detail contained in the tabled document?

Committee, we will defer the departmental summary and review the estimates by activity summary, beginning with the directorate, which starts on page 137 of your main estimates item. Members, we will now turn to page 138, where we will have one round of questions per activity area for 10 minutes of questions per Member. In the Finance Department, directorate, operations expenditure summary, program detail, $77,681,000, do Members have any questions? Thank you, Member for Yellowknife North.

Thank you, Madam Chair. Beginning with a general question: can the Minister of Finance provide the total cost of our debt servicing in these main estimates? Thank you.

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

Madam Chair, I certainly can provide that number. I'm not sure that I can point it to the Member right this moment on this particular page. I can provide some other general statistics in terms of knowing that it is within the financial responsibilities policy and that we are compliant with that. In fact, we're very low; we're under 2 percent for the coming year, but the actual number, Madam Chair, I will have to get back to the Member.

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

Thank you, Madam Chair. I recognize, perhaps, that was in the summary part that we passed by, so I will just take it as a commitment from the Minister to provide a breakdown of the total cost we are paying to service our debt as projected in these main estimates. That's my only question, Madam Chair.

Thank you, Member for Yellowknife North. Member for Frame Lake.

Thanks, Madam Chair. Yes, I do have a few questions around this section. On page 138, the contribution to the NWT Housing Corporation, if you compare 2020-2021 to the actuals or revised estimates from previous years, it actually shows a reduction. Can someone explain to me why we would be reducing our contribution to the NWT Housing Corporation, given the increasing need for more housing and better housing? Thanks, Madam Chair.

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

Thank you, Madam Chair. The higher value in 2018-2019 was as a result, as I understand, of the contribution made to RCMP housing, and that program then sunsetted and is not currently included in the 2020-2021 Main Estimates. Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you, Minister. Member for Frame Lake.

Thanks. Can the Minister provide me some assurance, then, that this is not a declining contribution from our government to the NWT Housing Corporation? Thanks, Madam Chair.

Thank you, Member for Frame Lake. Minister of Finance. If you could use your loud voice, that would be great. Thank you.

Thank you, Madam Chair. I am more than happy to do that. Madam Chair, no, there is no intention to have any sort of ongoing reduction to the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation. This was simply a reflection of a particular one-time program, and of course, it remains the commitment of this government to continue to seek out opportunities for more programs of that nature to hopefully bring in similar opportunities. There is a continuing intention to maintain funding to the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation. Thank you, Madam Chair.

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