Thank you. Member for Yellowknife North.

No further questions, Madam Chair.

Thank you. Member for Thebacha.

Thank you, Madam Chair. Just for clarity, I just want to make sure that people understand the -- what I'm hearing is the question around the land that is in question is the Denesuline and the other group from Manitoba and, you know, if I didn't ask this question, I'd probably be questioned about it in Fort Smith. So I just want to make sure that people understand that once you do these transboundary agreements with other First Nations that are not part of the Northwest Territories, that the Government of the Northwest Territories, or anybody within that region, any time there's going to be any development or any changes or anything, under section 35 they have the same right as the Akaitcho territory, the Salt River First Nation, who has lands in that area. And so it becomes a very -- it's a situation that could be detrimental to the Government of the Northwest Territories in the future. I know this is being forced upon us by the federal government, and I would caution the territorial government to be very careful with this because that's the mineral-rich area in the eastern NWT, and I have to say this for the people of the Northwest Territories.

I don't have any questions but I want people to be cautious and understand that, because the last Assembly under Premier McLeod, I know there was a court case and I think that has been dropped, and I'm wondering why, and I just have to say those things because I want it for the record that I -- that I brought it forward because I've been questioned on this at several different -- by several different aboriginal organizations, and I'm not in the chair to make that decision. So thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you, Member for Thebacha. Are there any further questions under this section? Member for Great Slave.

Thank you, Madam Chair. I'm just looking at this section on the contributions, and I'm curious to know is that -- I'm trying to figure it out but I'm not sure that I have. Is that flow through money from the federal government? Thank you.

Thank you. Minister of Lands.

No, it isn't.

Thank you. Member for Great Slave.

Thank you, Madam Chair. I guess as part of this is all in supporting Indigenous governments and organizations to take part in the work and given that other departments and areas that we talk about, often we talk about burnout within Indigenous groups around engagement and regulation development, and I'm not going to say things properly but I think they know where I'm going. So I'm just wondering a couple things here. Is there something that the GNWT or the department is doing to ensure there's -- there's, like, a continuity with turnover when we have burnout maybe in a group where people might quit? I see that the GNWT for this might be the -- sort of the continuum, and I'm wondering if there's a way that we're able to ensure that any knowledge that's sort of being used or in this area is -- is, like, categorized or cataloged so that it can be kept being there as the record through the various Indigenous governments that are elected. And I heard that was an issue earlier, that we have turnover within -- you know, we get so far in a settle -- in a discussion, and then there's new -- new leaders at the table. So I'm wondering if there's some way that the government is creating that continuum for Indigenous organizations in this work? That was very long to say something that I really couldn't spit out. Thank you.

Thank you. Minister of Lands.

Thank you. For that detail, I'll turn to the assist deputy minister. Thank you.

Thank you. ADM Chapman.

Thank you. Member for Great Slave.

Thank you. And you know, I think I'm going to take some credit for the Regular Members. I think that's something that we've passed along in several of our work and what I've seen from what we hear in our committee work and so I'll give them all a pat on the back for making sure that you heard that that was an issue within Indigenous organizations and governments.

I guess looking at this, and I then know -- would assume the 2021 Actuals are low because of COVID as stated. Is there any -- at any point going to be an expansion of this funding? I just -- I always feel that we could always be putting more money here, and again, it would then be this money's going towards training things that might be spent in communities. It seems like another area where we could be increasing funding and then having at least building capacity out of it in communities. Thank you.

Thank you. Minister of Lands.

So, yeah, I hear the Member, and we've looked at this. Right now, we feel comfortable with our budget. Is it perfect? No. But with the other priorities in this government, this is where we try to work and we also -- again, we try to work with ENR as well when we go do our inspections, as you heard. So we try to be as efficient as we can and cost efficient moving forward. So right now, we feel comfortable with the budget we have. But if it changes, we will get back to you through the process. Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you. But I meant specifically to these contributions because my -- they would be money that would then be given to the organizations, right, I'm assuming, for their work. So I would like -- I'm just wondering if there's a chance to increase this funding? As someone who has navigated some of the land use and as a business person coming in and trying to -- I guess not be quite the same type of work -- and sorry, I'm tired. But I just always think there could be more money here. So can the contributions be increased in the coming years? Thank you.

Thank you. Minister of Lands.

So right now, the budget we have in place is where we are. But if we have over-expenditure, we try to do it within first. But right now, we are comfortable with what our budget is and how we are able to work with our Indigenous governments and people moving forward. So right now, we're not looking at it but it's been on our radar; we have those conversations during probably once every three months, every four months on, you know, our budgets, and how things are -- as we move forward so. Right now, we do not have it on the radar. Thank you.

Thank you. Member for Great Slave.

Thank you, Madam Chair. And I'm just going to make one last comment on this. I think that as I sit here and ask for more briefings and things like that and I see my colleagues as quite engaged, you know, we want to know more; we want to learn more, and we're bugging Indigenous organizations more as well to come and feed us -- give us information. And I think that was the conversation amongst all 19 of us before we ever had the division was that we wanted to have that enduser feedback loop improved, and I think this is an area, again, that would benefit both sides of this House to see more funding in it. And I recognize that the Minister will come back with the same response, and so I don't need to hear it again. But I would encourage that we look at for the 2023 -- I guess -- I guess we will be out of this term but for the pred -- or the successors that they look at increasing this funding. Thank you.