Thank you, Member. Minister.

Thank you, Madam Chair. Madam Chair, let me take that one away. I will say we have changed the way we report on materials and information over the last few years, and I will go and have some conversations about what is here, what reasons there may be for and against, and get back to the House with that information.

Thank you. Member for Yellowknife North.

Yes, thank you, Madam Chair. You know, I struggle how to even ask questions when this happens.

So the table that we are not supposed to refer to but was referred to previously, it shows the department, it shows what they previously got and it shows the free balance, and then you can tell what's lapsed. But by department, it doesn't tell you any projects. It just tells you the department. So you have no idea, and there's no ability to know the project that is actually being lapsed. I guess would it be possible to get a public list of what actual projects are not being completed by the GNWT anymore? Thank you.

Thank you. Minister of Finance.

Thank you, Madam Chair. Madam Chair, that information certainly is available, and I expect -- yes, I would think that we should be able to find a way to put that information forward, Madam Chair. Yes, thank you.

Thank you. Member for Yellowknife North.

Yes, thank you, Madam Chair. And I guess one of the prime examples is that in the publicly-tabled documents, there's nothing for the Municipal and Community Affairs, but I believe that the entirety of the community infrastructure budget for Municipal and Community Affairs is being lapsed. And I really don't believe we didn't give them their money. So if someone can illustrate any of what's going on with MACA as lapsing. Thank you.

Thank you. Minister of Finance.

I'll direct that to the deputy secretary, please.

Mr. Courtoreille.

Thank you. Member for Yellowknife North.

Thank you, Madam Chair. You know, I'm going to ask no further questions because I feel I'm unable to ask any questions without specifically looking at a confidential document. And I have said this many times in how we do our budgeting that often we pass budgets where we can't say what we want, where we have no idea that there's no public figure provided for the cost of projects. So I also note that the clock wasn't started when I actually spoke so I think I well used up my time. Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you. Member for Frame Lake.

Yes, thanks, Madam Chair. And I might have blown the whistle on my colleague beside me in terms of the time but, yes, I want to pick up where he's left off.

You know, I find it really difficult that we're trying to do a reconciliation of 2021 capital budget publicly when we've got confidential information. That's what we're trying to do here. And it's not working very well.

So I think I heard somebody say that there's a free balance of about $222 million, if I got it right, or $200 million. Basically the money that wasn't spent on the capital budget from 2021, if I got it right.

So what percentage of the capital budget wasn't spent? Is it, like, roughly 40 percent? 50 percent? 60 percent? Roughly what amount of the budget wasn't spent? Thanks, Madam Chair.

Thank you. Minister of Finance.

Thank you, Madam Chair. Madam Chair, we do have the percentage here. I am --

We don't have 2022-2023 yet. In 2021-2022, at this point, Madam Chair, we're looking at about 49 percent, just over. 49.6.

Member for Frame Lake.

Yes, thanks, Madam Chair. That's a problem. We can't spend 50 percent of the capital budget that's approved by the Assembly? Look, that's why I voted against the last capital budget because I didn't believe we could actually get the money out the door. And I've been proven right. And, you know, I don't blame anybody in this room, but -- and there's -- but I've asked now for tracking of those reasons for at least five or six years. Is the department actually tracking these reasons any better? Thanks, Madam Chair.

Thank you. Minister of Finance.

Thank you, Madam Chair. Yes, they are tracking over the course of several years and, in fact, I think I've looked at the data for approximately ten years as to the percentage. And the percentage does vary, but the approximate amount that we are spending year over year doesn't change that much aside perhaps from a couple of years of COVID where things were a little bit tighter than unusual and more difficult to go out and spend. Thank you.

Thank you, Minister. Member for Frame Lake.

Thanks, Madam Chair. Without breaching confidentiality, I want to compliment the Minister and her staff for their improved tracking of the reason why money's not getting out the door. Unfortunately, I can't speak to it. I can't share it with the public. But I think it's improved, and that's a good thing. So I want to compliment them for doing that but I want to find a way to share that information publicly, because I want to give them more compliments but I can't.

So in any event, we're not doing a good job at reconciling the capital spending and how it figures into supplementary appropriations on the capital side, and that's a real problem.

So of the money that is -- some of it's being carried over, $64 million I guess is what this sup is for. So the remaining amount, 126, if I got it right, it's being lapsed, what happens to it? Does it just go back into the consolidated revenue fund? Are any of those projects going to come back in another sup or in the capital estimates for 2023-2024? What happens to that money? Thanks, Madam Chair.