Debates of March 10th, 2022

This is page numbers 3947 - 4016 of the Hansard for the 19th Assembly, 2nd Session. The original version can be accessed on the Legislative Assembly's website or by contacting the Legislative Assembly Library. The word of the day was know.

Topics

Oral Questions

Members Present

Prayer

Strengthening Mental Wellness and Addiction Recovery

Rendez-vous de la Francophonie

Member's STatement 1028-19(2): Ukraine Support

Land Leases

Regulation Making in the Northwest Territories

Importance of Living Well Together Training

Drug Decriminalization

Housing

Ukraine Support

Land Leases

Behchoko Water and Sewer Emergency

Living Well Together Training

Drug Decriminalization

Regulation Making in the Northwest Territories

Income Assistance

Electric Bike Rebates

Ukraine Support

Access to Clean Water

Living Well Together Training

Driver and Vehicle Licensing Office Hours of Operation

Inuvik Airport

Written Question 38-19(2): Project Assessment Policy Review

Written Question 39-19(2): Mining Programs and Subsidies

Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

Tabled Document 561-19(2): Main Estimates 2022-2023 - Industry, Tourism and Investment - Deferral of Department

Tabled Document 561-19(2): Main Estimates 2022-2023 - Finance - Deferral of Department

Report Of Committee Of The Whole

Orders Of The Day

Committee Motion 201-19(2): Tabled Document 561-19(2): Main Estimates 2022-2023 - Industry, Tourism and Investment - Deferral of Department, Carried
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

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The Chair Lesa Semmler

Thank you. Member for Frame Lake.

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Kevin O'Reilly Frame Lake

Thanks, Madam Chair. No, thanks for that. So the $5 million would have shown up in the capital budget for the Housing Corp, is that correct? Thanks, Madam Chair.

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The Chair Lesa Semmler

Thank you. Minister of Finance.

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Caroline Wawzonek Yellowknife South

Thank you, Madam Chair. Yes, that's correct.

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The Chair Lesa Semmler

Thank you. Member for Frame Lake.

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Kevin O'Reilly Frame Lake

Thanks. And so this increase here for the Housing Corp, 2022-2023, is this forced growth? Is it -- what happened here? Thanks, Madam Chair.

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The Chair Lesa Semmler

Thank you. Minister of Finance.

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Caroline Wawzonek Yellowknife South

Thank you, Madam Chair. There's a mix. There's some forced growth for public housing expansion in the amount of $947,000. $164,000 to accommodate some increase in property taxes. There is $752,000 of shelter initiative funding for Hay River and Fort Simpson. And then there is also an increase as a result of the increases to the collective agreement. Thank you, Madam Chair.

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The Chair Lesa Semmler

Thank you. Member for Frame Lake.

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Kevin O'Reilly Frame Lake

Thanks, Madam Chair. So what would it take for this to become, like, automatically indexed or in some way to CPI, you know, so that, I don't know, the Housing Corporation wouldn't have to kind of come back and continue to make submissions to the FMB or whatever. And I have no -- I just don't understand how that stuff works. But what would it take for there to be kind of like regular incremental increases to the budget this contribution from the GNWT to the Housing Corporation over time? Thanks, Madam Chair.

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The Chair Lesa Semmler

Thank you. Minister of Finance.

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Caroline Wawzonek Yellowknife South

Thank you, Madam Chair. So Madam Chair, every element of the government that is dependant upon the operations budget, including the Housing Corporation, goes through the same process. There's a business planning cycle during which point the department determines what their needs are. If there's forced growth, appropriate asks under the forced growth. So that would be your collective -- collective agreement increases; taxes, for example. Then that comes through forced growth and that, you know, receives a different type of appreciation through the Financial Management Board process. If they want to have initiatives to expand programs or increase programs, then that does go through the initiative process. So it doesn't -- nothing gets indexed in terms of being programs and services funding that then gets indexed. Thank you, Madam Chair.

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The Chair Lesa Semmler

Thank you. Member for Frame Lake.

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Kevin O'Reilly Frame Lake

Yeah, okay, thanks. So -- yeah, I don't know, we've -- well, we have just continued to kind of beg the Housing Corporation to ask for more money, and I guess this is the flow through of that. So I just would continue to make that plea. That's all I've got. Thanks, Madam Chair.

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The Chair Lesa Semmler

Thank you. Member for Kam Lake.

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Caitlin Cleveland Kam Lake

Thank you very much, Madam Chair. Yeah, I am going to just continue on that line of questioning.

So the Housing Corporation contribution increased slightly by 2 percent, which an increase is great news. I'm wondering if the Housing Corporation asked for more than a 2 percent increase? Thank you.

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The Chair Lesa Semmler

Thank you. Minister of Finance.

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Caroline Wawzonek Yellowknife South

Thank you, Madam Chair. Madam Chair, what shows up here, as it does for every other department, is the results of -- well, the combination of starting from the foundational budget coupled with, you know, forced growth and then initiatives and any other adjustments that might exist and that are being carried forward. So, you know, if there's new programs or federal programs to which we're contributing that might find its way into other FMB adjustments and then the result is that where we get to in the 2022-2023 Main Estimates, Madam Chair. And so the total departmental examples that we see before us are the sum total of all of those decisions by the Financial Management Board. Thank you, Madam Chair.

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The Chair Lesa Semmler

Thank you. Member for Kam Lake.

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Caitlin Cleveland Kam Lake

Thank you very much, Madam Chair. Madam Chair, since -- well, over the course of the last decade, the contribution from the GNWT to the Housing Corporation has actually gone down on average. I'm wondering if the Department of Finance has ever questioned the Housing Corporation as to why their -- why their ask I guess has gone down. Thank you.

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The Chair Lesa Semmler

Thank you. Minister of Finance.

March 10th, 2022

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Caroline Wawzonek Yellowknife South

Thank you, Madam Chair. Madam Chair, I mean, the role of the Department of Finance really in terms of the line item here is to provide the funding that it was asked for under the budget that's approved by the Housing Corporation. So what their -- what the Housing Corporation's budget actually is and how it gets determined is done by the corporation, and then Finance sort of pays at this point through this line item. Thank you.

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The Chair Lesa Semmler

Thank you. Member for Kam Lake.

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Caitlin Cleveland Kam Lake

Thank you very much, Madam Chair. I guess I disagree with that, just simply because this is a contribution not to a department but to a corporation. So it's government funding that they're giving in expectation for work to be done. So I guess my next question is how does the GNWT as a whole, because it's making a contribution to a corporation, how do they evaluate performance of the corporation for an exchange for that GNWT contribution? Thank you.

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The Chair Lesa Semmler

Thank you. Minister of Finance.

Debates of March 10th, 2022

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