Thank you, Madam Chair. Madam Chair, so there was no extra money remaining in this particular line item. There is a surplus amount in the Regional Air Transportation Initiative, or RATI agreement, which is managed under Infrastructure and which I think we'll come to shortly.

These funds are specifically -- were negotiated with the Department of Transportation Canada really out of COVID relief. And, yes, as I say, there was nothing that wasn't spent in what we had available.

Madam Chair, I think there was another question in there, and I apologize, I forgot what it was.

Thank you, Minister. Member for Thebacha.

Thank you, Madam Chair. The Government of the Northwest Territories did not spend $1 million of support that was supposed to go to regional airlines by March 31st, 2022. And so they've asked for an extension of an extra year to get the money out.

I want to know why these funds weren't spent before March 31st, 2022?

Thank you, Member. Minister of Finance.

Thank you, Madam Chair. So Madam Chair, again, the Department of Infrastructure does manage the Regional Air Transportation Initiative, or RATI. It's a federal fund that is there to help maintain and reestablish regional air connectivity services across Canada that might have been impacted by COVID-19. It's being delivered by CanNor, and that money did not all get out the door. But that is not the same -- it's not the same money as what Department of Finance manages for the purposes of COVID relief.

The RATI money was something that was helping to shore up services, shore up the airports. You know, essentially it was really assisting with things that might come up as a result of COVID-19 but not necessarily relief funding to airlines or air carriers.

The Department of Finance had the airline and air carriers relief funds that we were managing, and that's this one. And this came through in four different phases. And this is simply the last, the fifth of the phases, and I anticipate likely to be the last of the five. Or to be the last, this fifth one. Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you. Member for Thebacha.

Madam Chair, it's disturbing to me that Canadian North got 46.5 percent of the contributions that were given. Every other airline across the board all are less than 10 percent. And regional airlines, especially the one from Northwestern Air Lease, was 4.1, the lifeline to some communities like Fort Smith and -- especially Fort Smith, because that's all we have there. And it was a major problem the last time, the phase 4 was brought out. And it concerns me that the majority of the monies that go out to these major airlines, ownership is not in the Northwest Territories.

The ownership with Northwestern Air Lease, and all the people that live in Fort Smith and work for the airline, are all residents of the community of Fort Smith. But Canadian North ownership is in Calgary. There's other -- Summit Air is in Ontario, the ownership.

So likewise, our government is constantly making sure that southern interests overrides northern interests.

This is extremely important to the people of Fort Smith because, you know, first of all, they used to employ about 75 local people that all lived there and own homes there and do business in Fort Smith, including the owners. And yet we're sending all this money, 46.5 percent out of 51 point some million, that's about $25 million or more, to Canadian North, and ownership is in Calgary.

I'm not saying that they shouldn't get money to ensure that the airline still serves the North, but I just wonder where the priorities are. And I'd like to know what the priorities are. Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you, Member. Minister of Finance.

Thank you, Madam Chair. Madam Chair, so again, this is a program that was cost shared with the federal government, and it was part of funding that was being delivered through COVID-19 and the pandemic when airline services across the country were facing fairly dire straits, when there was the sort of significant and immediate shut downs of airline services and impacts to them.

The portion that we received was to help maintain air service costs across the Northwest Territories. The federal government wasn't, you know, supporting which -- you know, based on where ownership might be. They were supporting based on where the air services were based or being required.

We were able to get some flexibility where, for other regions, there may have been only passenger services that were receiving the funding relief and supports. We were able to demonstrate that in the Northwest Territories there are carriers that service regions and communities that provide essential services, whether it's cargo, medical transport, medical supplies, etcetera, and in fact, you know, COVID-related supplies ultimately. So that was the focus of these supports.

Again, these are not, you know, an economic development opportunity. It was really ensuring that various networks remained alive and at least healthy so that services and routes could be maintained. Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you, Minister. Member for Thebacha.

Thank you, Madam Chair. You know, economic recovery starts at home, okay. It wasn't an economic opportunity for a small airline to get some help in the fourth phase and now in the fifth phase. Economic recovery is for those people who live and reside in the Northwest Territories.

We are constantly - constantly doing the wrong thing when it comes to these kind of initiatives where we're always making sure that the southern interest is always looked after. And, you know, that's not okay.

When you have people in a community, like Fort Smith, with over 50 employees still there, all living and working there, spending their money there, going to the grocery store and all these other things, and our government and this Minister decides that the criteria -- they don't look out of the box with the criteria. They have a set thing to make sure that they look after the bigger air carriers, and they -- and the ownership is not here.

That is unbelievable, unacceptable, and I'm not really happy about that. And I hope that when the amounts come out after we're done this session like usual, that they take into account the regional airlines that actually serve the North and the people that are living here. Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you, Member. Did you have any question for the Minister?

No questions.

Finance, management board secretariat, not previously authorized, $1,615,000. Does committee agree?

Thank you, committee. Finance, total department, operation expenditures, not previously authorized, $7,655,000. Does committee agree?

Thank you. Health and Social Services, COVID secretariat, not previously authorized, $11,707,000. Does committee agree?

Or sorry, negative $11,707,000. Does committee agree?

Health and Social Services, health and social programs, $15,504,000. Does committee agree -- or sorry, not previously authorized, $15,504,000. Member for Yellowknife North.

Thank you, Madam Chair. So I think we should maybe talk about this. It's $15 million new dollars to the health authority and, you know, $10 million of that is coming from what was previously budgeted for the COVID secretariat. So I think we are in the final days of winding down the COVID secretariat. I guess I was just hoping the Minister could perhaps give us an update a few months ago when we approved the total COVID secretariat budget. There was some talk of keeping some staff on going forward as we switch to endemic status. There was some talk about perhaps keeping 8-1-1, just a bit of an update about what is going on with the COVID secretariat. Thank you.

Thank you, Member. Minister of Finance.