Thank you, Madam Chair. Madam Chair, when I attend federal-provincial-territorial meetings of Ministers, I am proud to tell colleagues from across Canada that we are in fact a perpetual minority government. I am proud of this fact because I can also say that we have always passed not only the operations budget every year but also, separately and additionally, a capital budget. These budgets may not pass unanimously but they pass through a consensus process of review, information exchange, and discussion. And when I describe the kind of expectations we entrust on MLAs to receive and hold confidential government information about departmental business plans and draft budgets, Minsters from other jurisdictions are surprised; and they are even more surprised when I describe the repeated negotiations that we undertake in order to pass these budgets. Madam Chair, I am proud of this system. It is only as successful and as strong as the efforts we all put in through active participation in the many briefings and reviews. We are here today because of the efforts that have been put into this process with respect to Budget 2023-2024.
Madam Chair, I realize that every Member here was elected to represent and work towards the betterment of the territory and its people. Our shared priorities are not only reflected in the mandate; they can also arise throughout the course of the Legislative Assembly or may find particular need or attention at different times. The consensus process of budget reviews and negotiations allows us all to have a timely role to respond to new, enhanced, or highlighted areas of need.
I want to extend a sincere thank you to the work of Regular Members to review the main estimates and provide their perspectives for improvements to the budget. A special thank you to the chairperson and deputy chairperson of the Standing Committee on Accountability and Oversight for their involvement and responsibility in carrying out budget negotiations. Madam Chair, they have ably and represented Regular Members and without their work, the outcome today would not be the same.
We have agreed to enhance Budget 2023 with $4.775 million in additional funding for several priorities. And I am committing to bringing these additional initiatives forward in a supplementary estimates document in the May-June Session.
Homelessness
Housing Northwest Territories is prepared to bring forward its Homelessness Strategy. To support the actions under this strategy, I am committing to including $2 million in additional funding in 2023-2024. Housing NWT will use this one-time funding for application-based grants with special priority given to shelter service initiatives. I look forward to Housing NWT's comprehensive funding requests that will come forward as part of the next business cycle. I note that our shared goal for these funds is to see them expended by organizations or communities who are actively working in this space and who are well placed to ensure their effective and timely use.
Mental Wellness and Aftercare
I listened to the Members' concerns about mental wellness and supporting the standing committee's request for increased funding for detox and aftercare services in response to the Auditor General's report. And I commit to including $500,000 in additional ongoing funding for a suicide prevention fund to be provided to Indigenous governments. I note in particular the recent publication of the Moving Forward and Healing Together Suicide Prevention Strategy by the Inuvialuit Regional Corporation, and I expect that funding to support the implementation of this strategy will be available through this enhanced funding.
Youth, Sport and Recreation
Excellent aftercare programs can play an important role in supporting the mental wellness of an entire family in addition to the programs' ability to support child and youth education. Participation in sport and recreation benefits all ages in many ways and plays a tremendous role in the development of youth into healthy adults. We are committing an additional $500,000 in ongoing funding to support youth involvement in sport, recreation and youth development initiatives across the territory.
I note that we again have a shared goal to see this funding be application-based to ensure that individuals, families and community organizations are able to apply for these funds and ensure they are spent efficiently in support of those who need them.
Sustainable Living
Madam Chair, we understand the importance of sustainable living programs to communities and if the $1.1 million already budgeted for the Community Harvester Assistance Program, or CHAP, is insufficient, we need to address that. Minister Thompson has asked the Department of Environment and Climate Change to review the program's funding, being mindful of the $1.6 million in funding for complementary programs like Local Wildlife Committees, Take a Kid Trapping, Hunter Education, Country Foods, Trapper Mentorship, Harvester Disaster Compensation Assistance, and the Genuine Mackenzie Valley Fur Program.
In support of this program review, we commit to adding $1 million in ongoing funding to increase Sustainable Living programs.
Support for Entrepreneur and Economic Development
Members have made clear their support for the Support for Entrepreneur and Economic Development, or SEED, program, and we support their suggestion to earmark more SEED funding for the arts sector with a commitment to add $375,000 in one-time SEED funding, bringing the total for arts-specific SEED funding to $575,000 in 2023-2024.
Programs under SEED are currently under review and future funding requests will be part of the regular business planning process.
Emergency Response
The GNWT, through the Department of Municipal and Community Affairs, remains committed to working with communities to determine community capacity for ground ambulance and emergency response services and to reviewing what the GNWT provides in support of these services. In hearing the concerns of Regular Members, I commit to providing $400,000 in additional funding for communities to seek opportunities for training and to purchase equipment to improve their capacity to support ground ambulance services in the Northwest Territories in 2023-2024.
After a review of this program and the needs of communities is complete, future funding decisions can then be made through the usual annual business planning cycle.
Non-government Organizations Inflationary Increases
Madam Chair, no one is more aware of the inflationary pressures on government programs and services than I am, and I was especially supportive in the 2023-2024 Budget of taking into consideration these inflationary and other expenditure pressures as faced by non-government organizations that deliver programs and services on our behalf. We changed our approach in next year's budget by allowing departments to seek additional funding for inflationary impacts to non-governmental organizations through the forced growth process and, as a result, have proposed $738,000 dedicated to helping organizations address inflationary pressures. These include organizations who are helping health agencies, housing, and the Community Futures Program and Community Transfer Initiatives.
We are also helping departments with the wording for multi-year agreements with some of these non-government organizations. I confirm that those changes in process in allowing departments to seek forced growth for inflation on behalf of their program delivery partner organizations, and to sign multi-year agreements, will continue.
As stated in the budget, we are going further in changes in how we work with the non-government organizations by establishing an external advisory committee to better support non-government organizations.
Northwest Territories Power Corporation Board Composition
Madam Chair, an options paper is currently under development by Executive and Indigenous Affairs that proposes to amend the composition of the Northwest Territories Power Corporation Board of Directors. This will include an examination of the implications of appointing a board of independent professionals. This options paper will be provided to standing committee by the May-June 2023 session. Madam Chair, as I noted earlier, the changes highlighted here will be implemented through a supplementary appropriation in the May-June sitting.
And that concludes my remarks. Thank you.