Thank you. Thank you, Madam Chair. Madam Chair, there are a number of things that we are doing to ensure that we meet our 2030 strategy and, you know, we look at the action plan every three years and we're able to see if we're meeting targets. If we're not, what are some of the things that we're able to do to further advance our projects.

So, you know, some of our key initiatives, like big projects, we're advancing the Taltson Project, the Inuvik Wind Project, Fort Providence-Kakisa Line, feasibility for Tuk liquefied natural gas, you know, replacement oil heating of 45 housing. And I'm not going to go on because I'm using up Member's time but we are doing -- advancing some of these projects within the strategy. Thank you.

Thank you, Minister. Member for Frame Lake.

Thanks, Madam Chair. Yeah, clearly, the 2030 Energy Strategy is failing, and it's not -- we're not going to reach the Pan-Canadian Framework target; there's no way. So what I was hoping I was going to hear from the Minister is that we're going to reset that or throw it out, quite frankly, and bring in some energy projects that will actually allow us to meet that target. And those -- it's going to need -- we require things like hydrogen - a workshop that I recently attended that the department put on. We need to find ways to reduce the energy that's consumed in the transportation sector and in the mining sector, quite frankly. And I don't want to have wait for diamond mines to close so that we can actually meet the target, but that's where we're going.

So what is it that the department's going to do to reset this strategy and get us on a proper track so that we can actually meet the Pan-Canadian Framework target? Thanks, Madam Chair.

Thank you. Minister of Infrastructure.

Thank you, Madam Chair. Madam Chair, and I believe the Member's asked me this on the floor, if we can just scrap the 2030 Energy Strategy, and at the time my answer was no, because we're going to go back and look at the action plan and assess it every three years. And perhaps, you know, see where in which areas we're not meeting targets and be able to assess that. And if I can, Madam Chair, to have Mr. Jenkins just to speak a little bit more in specific initiatives that we are trying to get to our bigger target by 2030. Thank you.

Thank you. Mr. Jenkins.

Thank you, Mr. Jenkins. Member for Frame Lake.

Yeah, thanks, Madam Chair. We're just not going to make the target at this rate. There's no way. It's impossible for us to make the target especially when we're stuck in this strategy. And, you know, the federal government has to be watching this, and should be watching this, the money that they're giving us, because part of the reason we -- you know, the last Cabinet, it took a lot for them to actually sign on to the Pan-Canadian Framework in the first place. And the only reason they did that was because they said that if we're going to reach that target, you got to give us some money. So the feds have given us money and we're still failing because it's the mix of projects that are being presented here. There's no way we're going to meet the Pan-Canadian Framework target. So that's a warning to the Minister, I guess, that we're not going to make it, and I don't want to be sitting here a year from now, or two years from now, hearing from the Auditor General that again our government has failed to reach the targets that were set in our own internal greenhouse gas emission strategies, because that's the record that this government has. We don't meet the targets that we set and that's what's happening with this strategy. Thanks, Madam Chair.

Thank you, Member for Frame Lake. Are there any further questions under the energy strategic initiatives?

Seeing none, Infrastructure, energy and strategic initiatives, operations expenditure summary, 2022-2023 Main Estimates, $15,906,000. Does committee agree?

Thank you, committee. And Sergeant-at-Arms, I'll get you to switch the witnesses. Thank you.

Welcome back, deputy minister Loutitt. And so we are going to continue on with programs and services beginning on page 251, with information items on page 253. Member for Hay River South.

Thank you, Madam Chair. I'd like to, I guess, talk a bit about MTS, and I'm hoping this is the right section, or maybe we passed it. But nevertheless, I've got ten minutes so.

There was a loss shown for MTS of around $5.8 million and of that, about $4.3 million, I think, was with respect to operating losses. Can the Minister just talk a bit about that, and I think it was partly because of the properties and that, just give me an explanation to, you know, why that loss was there. Can we expect something in the future with the number of properties that they took over from NTCL? Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you, Member. Minister of Infrastructure.

Thank you, Madam Chair. The marine transportation system had a net accounting deficit of $3.3 million even before departmental appropriations in 2020-2021 due to continued cost of maintenance and staffing along with, again, the good old challenges of COVID-19. So the main estimate does not show a deficit because it's under the revolving fund. And I quickly was able to go back to that section when -- it will speak specifically about that in that section, because of the Revolving Funds Act. So any deficits must be covered by departmental appropriations.

Thank you.

Thank you. So the deficit, the accounting deficit comprised of some of the active operational losses due to uncertainties, insurance coverage that is required, amortization expense was another big one of 2.6, additional interest cost of financing on loans estimated at 1.1. So these were all the losses that were comprised of MTS. Thank you.

Thank you. Member for Hay River South.

Thank you, Madam Chair. And I thought I saw somewhere on there that with respect to repairs to the equipment that was purchased from NTCL that there was -- that was part of the reason for the losses? Can you speak to that a bit. Because there is -- you know, there was a lot of equipment that was purchased, and I'm just not sure how -- you know, how much of it has actually been used for operations. Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you. Minister of Infrastructure.

Thank you. ADM Brennan.

Thank you. Member for Hay River South.