Yes, Madam Chair. Thank you. I am here to present the 2020-2021 Main Estimates for the Department of Executive and Indigenous Affairs.
Overall, the department's estimates propose an increase of $783,000 or 3.5 percent over the 2019-2020 main estimates. These estimates support our fiscal objectives to prioritize responsible and strategic spending while matching the modest expected revenue growth over the coming year.
Highlights of these proposed estimates include:
- $905,000 in forced growth related to salary increases resulting from the 2016-2017 to 2020-2021 collective agreement with the Union of Northern Workers;
- $705,000 for the establishment of the Office of Devolution Initiatives responsible for leading the Government of the Northwest Territories through negotiations related to the management of offshore oil and gas resources. This office has also been assigned the lead of a review of the NWT Lands and Resources Devolution Agreement transitional provisions as they relate to the Mackenzie Valley Resource Management Act;
- a sunset of $82,000 for a project to deliver a communications campaign and strategic communications plan for campaign schools that would increase the engagement of women in politics in the Northwest Territories. This is offset by an investment received from the federal Department of Women and Gender Equality for $525,000.
This money was made available to the Government of the Northwest Territories for two years, beginning August 2019, to expand pilot testing of the campaign school in five communities and to develop an online portal to support this initiative:
- a sunset of $495,000 that was part of a project designed to access third-party negotiation and facilitation services to assist in the finalization of self-government agreements;
- a sunset of $80,000 that is being provided as a grant to the Northwest Territories/Nunavut Council of Friendship Centres to assist with building capacity and strengthening partnerships of the centres;
- a sunset of $170,000 in grant funding made available to individual Northwest Territories friendship centres to match contributions received from other entities; and
- the department will see an increase in three positions in 2020/2021. These three positions are located in Yellowknife and are the result of the creation of the Office of Devolution Initiatives.
These estimates continue to provide funding for various priorities of the 19th Legislative Assembly by:
- funding the operation of single window service centres that provide residents in 22 small NWT communities with access to basic Government of the Northwest Territories and Government of Canada services;
- the delivery of campaign schools twice yearly in order to increase the engagement of women in all levels of politics within the territory. This will also include, as I mentioned earlier, piloting of the campaign school in an additional five communities, which has been made possible through a partnership with the federal government; and
- the negotiation and implementation of self-government and land claims agreements throughout the territory.
That concludes my opening remarks. Thank you.