Thank you, Madam Chair. I am just looking at the line for fees and payments, how in the actuals it was at the $9,000, and then it has gone up. I notice a few times we had actuals which were quite a bit lower, which makes sense given COVID. However, could the Minister speak to whether or not there was any exercise done to look at perhaps not going back to the original budgets before and doing a bit of a sort of fat-cutting or leaning of budgets now that COVID has sort of changed the operating world we are in? Thank you.

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

Thank you, Madam Chair. I am pleased to have the question. That is really in part one of the directions we may wind up going in doing government renewal because, rather than sort of stepping in and "leaning," to use that term, or cutting automatically without knowing what, in fact, trends are, what, in fact, the impacts or outcomes of the COVID-19 pandemic will be into the future, the preferred approach at this point is to do something that is methodical, to do something that is value-based, and to do something that will actually gather up evidence in a way that allows us to make decisions that are, in fact, evidence-based.

However, I certainly appreciate the fact that we are all wanting to be alive to the changes that are likely to come from COVID-19 without necessarily knowing what, in fact, those final changes will be. Simply to highlight again, I am alive to that, to the conversation, to the issue, and I do think that what these impacts are going to be is going to come out in part probably over a short course of time and then also over a longer period of time as things move on. Thank you.

Thank you, Minister. Member for Great Slave.

Thank you. I do appreciate that the Minister is cautious about wanting to not take things away that later on are not going to be able to be added back or easily added back. However, I do know that there have to be some very obvious things that are not going to be coming back for the next year, let alone two to three or four years after that, so I kind of wish or I do wish that the government had taken both of the approaches, really. My comment on that is that -- you are waving at me; I have lost my train of thought -- that there should have been. Yes, so my question would be: Would the Minister commit to coming back to us when a lot of this money is not spent and seek Members' input into how that money is being spent? Because it does really come across as continuing to keep money in the budget that then Cabinet can make decisions as to where it goes or departments can make decisions as to where it goes without it coming through the Members for input. Thank you.

Thank you, Member. Minister.

Thank you, Madam Chair. Yes, I have actually spoken to the department about the fact that there is a live discussion happening right now with Members of the Legislative Assembly about where does money go when it does not get utilized in a budget, so I am alive that that's an issue. It is rightfully an issue, and so I will certainly commit that we have to come back and do a better job of that. I am hesitant in saying that. There are times where there may be a small amount that gets moved from if there is an unfunded position and then -- I am trying to think of a good example right now, off the top of my head, Madam Chair, and it is not coming to me. However, some flexibility is needed. Some flexibility is appropriate. At the same time, as I said, I am very alive to it. Exactly the issue that is being raised by the Member is not new to me and I think is one that is coming up more and more, particularly in a year when we have seen such changes. I am going to find a way to come back to committee. I just need to figure out exactly how that is going to look so that it's functional and meaningful.

Thank you, Minister. Member for Great Slave.

I think I heard a commitment in there to ask us for our inputs on spending the extra money, so I am happy with that. Those are all my questions. Thanks.

Thank you, Member for Great Slave. Member for Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh.

Marsi cho, Madam Chair. I am just looking at page 141 here. I know that it's not a big difference. I apologize if another Member asked about this. There are the actuals there, and it's a little bit of a difference there, $37,000 and then $83,000. Can the Minister just explain that difference? Thank you.

Thank you. Minister of Finance.

Thank you, Madam Chair. Sorry, I'm not seeing a $37,000 line item. Is this under contract services, Madam Chair? I believe that is the line item that we are looking at. The actuals for 2019-2020 were at $37,000. The set amount of budget for contract services 2020-2021, as well as now, 2021-2022, is $83,000, Madam Chair. There would have been a freeze back in 2019-2020 at the time of the election, and that would have had a significant impact on contract services that year, a difference of $46,000.

Thank you, Minister. Member.

Marsi cho, Madam Chair. Thank you for that response. Also, for purchased services, there is a bit of difference there. It's almost double from the actuals. Can the Minister explain that difference, as well? Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you, Member. Minister.

Thank you, Madam Chair. The item in purchased services is with respect to telecommunications services. There have been some updates to phone systems over the last couple of years, and as such, there have been some cost savings. That is an item that has not yet seen itself reflected in budgets. I certainly could commit to confirming whether or not that cost savings is one that will need to be reflected over time. Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you, Minister. Member.

Marsi cho, Madam Chair. A little bit down the road, I'll ask the Minister how we can improve the communications at Lutselk'e because it's not too good there right now. I did have another question, but I'll just ask to be placed back in the queue. I lost my train of thought. Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thanks. Are there any further questions? Member for Yellowknife North.

Thank you, Madam Chair. I am looking at the Department of Finance's business plan, and it said that the Public Service Act was scheduled for introduction in 2020, quarter four. That did not occur. Could I get a sense of when we will see the Public Service Act? Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you, Member. Minister of Finance.

Thank you, Madam Chair. At this point, we are under a notice to bargain and, as such, can't be making any changes to the Public Service Act. We will take that one step at a time at this stage. Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you, Minister. Member for Yellowknife North.