Agreed.
Debates of March 3rd, 2022
This is page numbers 3711 - 3754 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
Committee Motion 194-19(2): Tabled Document 561-19(2): Main Estimates 2022-2023 - Education, Culture and Employment - Deferral of Department, Carried
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
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Some Hon. Members
Committee Motion 194-19(2): Tabled Document 561-19(2): Main Estimates 2022-2023 - Education, Culture and Employment - 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. We will now move on to Justice, Office of the Regulator of Oil and Gas Operations, beginning on page 293 with information page on 294. Questions. Member for Frame Lake.
Committee Motion 194-19(2): Tabled Document 561-19(2): Main Estimates 2022-2023 - Education, Culture and Employment - Deferral of Department, Carried
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
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Kevin O'Reilly Frame Lake
Thanks, Madam Chair. So there's a $700,000 decrease in the budget here for OROGO and two staff are being cut I guess, if I look at page 294. Can I get an explanation as to what's happened here? Thank you.
Committee Motion 194-19(2): Tabled Document 561-19(2): Main Estimates 2022-2023 - Education, Culture and Employment - Deferral of Department, Carried
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
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Committee Motion 194-19(2): Tabled Document 561-19(2): Main Estimates 2022-2023 - Education, Culture and Employment - Deferral of Department, Carried
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R.J. Simpson Hay River North
Thank you, Madam Chair. So I have very little to do with OROGO as it is a regulator and it is parked in Justice. So what happened was this division -- or this activity, and as it is in the main estimates, what was continuously lapsing, money each year, around $600,000. So the department contracted somebody to -- or a company to have a look at the operations and work with OROGO and make a determination about how much they would actually need to operate, understanding that OROGO was relatively new and it was provided with the budget before it had done anything. And so it was someone's best guess at what a budget would be.
And so understanding -- based on that review, the decision was made to listen to the recommendation of the review and make a cut to the operational budget. Thank you.
Committee Motion 194-19(2): Tabled Document 561-19(2): Main Estimates 2022-2023 - Education, Culture and Employment - Deferral of Department, Carried
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
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Committee Motion 194-19(2): Tabled Document 561-19(2): Main Estimates 2022-2023 - Education, Culture and Employment - Deferral of Department, Carried
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
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Kevin O'Reilly Frame Lake
Thank you, Madam Chair. So the review that was done, has that been made available to the public? And if not -- and if there needed to be some redactions in terms of personnel matters or whatever, I could understand that, but is that a publicly available document? Thanks, Madam Chair.
Committee Motion 194-19(2): Tabled Document 561-19(2): Main Estimates 2022-2023 - Education, Culture and Employment - Deferral of Department, Carried
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
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Committee Motion 194-19(2): Tabled Document 561-19(2): Main Estimates 2022-2023 - Education, Culture and Employment - Deferral of Department, Carried
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
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R.J. Simpson Hay River North
Thank you. I don't believe it is publicly available. I will have further discussions with the department though about that because I'm always in favour of releasing things publicly where possible. So I will see what we can do on that. Thank you.
Committee Motion 194-19(2): Tabled Document 561-19(2): Main Estimates 2022-2023 - Education, Culture and Employment - Deferral of Department, Carried
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Committee Motion 194-19(2): Tabled Document 561-19(2): Main Estimates 2022-2023 - Education, Culture and Employment - Deferral of Department, Carried
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
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Kevin O'Reilly Frame Lake
Thanks, Madam Chair. No, I appreciate the Minister's commitment to make that information public, and I'm one of the Members that actually pushed for a rationalization of resources here because there's just very little, if any, interest whatsoever in oil and gas resources in the Northwest Territories. So why continue to spend money on managing them when there's no activity taking place. So I understand and pushed for that work to be done.
So when the money is cut, where does it go? Thanks, Madam Chair.
Committee Motion 194-19(2): Tabled Document 561-19(2): Main Estimates 2022-2023 - Education, Culture and Employment - Deferral of Department, Carried
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
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Committee Motion 194-19(2): Tabled Document 561-19(2): Main Estimates 2022-2023 - Education, Culture and Employment - Deferral of Department, Carried
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
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R.J. Simpson Hay River North
Thank you. And, you know, with recent events in the world's biggest natural gas producer, perhaps there will be an increase in oil and gas activity in the territory. If that's the case, then we'll have to see what the operating budget would need to be under those circumstances. But the OROGO is funded from the general coffers of the GNWT so it goes into the general coffers of the GNWT. Thank you.
Committee Motion 194-19(2): Tabled Document 561-19(2): Main Estimates 2022-2023 - Education, Culture and Employment - Deferral of Department, Carried
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
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Committee Motion 194-19(2): Tabled Document 561-19(2): Main Estimates 2022-2023 - Education, Culture and Employment - Deferral of Department, Carried
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Kevin O'Reilly Frame Lake
Okay, thanks. I guess where I'm going with this is that, you know, even in the Minister's opening remarks, and I don't have them in front of me, I can't access them on Lootle. There was not one mention of reductions in the department. And so how was this actual reduction in the main estimates, how does it appear in what the Minister said in classifying the changes in the departmental budget from his opening remarks this morning -- or earlier this afternoon? Thanks, Madam Chair.
Committee Motion 194-19(2): Tabled Document 561-19(2): Main Estimates 2022-2023 - Education, Culture and Employment - Deferral of Department, Carried
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 3747
Committee Motion 194-19(2): Tabled Document 561-19(2): Main Estimates 2022-2023 - Education, Culture and Employment - Deferral of Department, Carried
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
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R.J. Simpson Hay River North
Thank you. So it's a reduction. It shows here as it is a reduction as less money this year than there was last year. So there was a cut to this. That money was then used for, you know, something else, the same way all other money in the territory or the GNWT is used for something else. So it went into a big pot of money and then, you know, it was allocated elsewhere. Thank you.
Committee Motion 194-19(2): Tabled Document 561-19(2): Main Estimates 2022-2023 - Education, Culture and Employment - Deferral of Department, Carried
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 3747
Committee Motion 194-19(2): Tabled Document 561-19(2): Main Estimates 2022-2023 - Education, Culture and Employment - Deferral of Department, Carried
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
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Kevin O'Reilly Frame Lake
Thanks for that. Yeah, I'm looking at this. It's clearly a reduction. That's not the way it's classified, though, by the Financial Management Board. I believe this is classified as an FMB approved adjustment. Can the Minister confirm that, yes or no? Thanks, Madam Chair.
Committee Motion 194-19(2): Tabled Document 561-19(2): Main Estimates 2022-2023 - Education, Culture and Employment - Deferral of Department, Carried
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
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Committee Motion 194-19(2): Tabled Document 561-19(2): Main Estimates 2022-2023 - Education, Culture and Employment - Deferral of Department, Carried
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
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R.J. Simpson Hay River North
Thank you. I don't know if I can confirm or deny what is in confidential FMB materials. Thank you.
Committee Motion 194-19(2): Tabled Document 561-19(2): Main Estimates 2022-2023 - Education, Culture and Employment - Deferral of Department, Carried
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Committee Motion 194-19(2): Tabled Document 561-19(2): Main Estimates 2022-2023 - Education, Culture and Employment - Deferral of Department, Carried
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
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Kevin O'Reilly Frame Lake
All right. Well, I don't believe I heard -- and as I said, I don't have the Minister's opening remarks in front of me and I don't have -- they're not available on Lootle. I don't believe the Minister said there was any reductions anywhere in the Department of Justice budget. Can the Minister confirm that there were no reductions according to the FMB classifications, because I don't think that was in the Minister's opening remarks. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Committee Motion 194-19(2): Tabled Document 561-19(2): Main Estimates 2022-2023 - Education, Culture and Employment - Deferral of Department, Carried
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 3747
Committee Motion 194-19(2): Tabled Document 561-19(2): Main Estimates 2022-2023 - Education, Culture and Employment - Deferral of Department, Carried
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
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R.J. Simpson Hay River North
Thank you. So I'm seeing right now there's a reduction to OROGO's budget, and Madam Chair, if we could take a sort recess and we can sort of -- I can speak with the Minister of Finance and perhaps legal counsel and figure out this situation. Thank you.