Those opposed, please stand.

Those abstaining, please stand.

Thank you, colleagues. Those in favour, 6. Opposed, 5. Abstentions, 7. Bill 8 has carried to the second reading.

---Carried

Both bills now stand referred to the standing committee. Second reading of bills.

Consideration in Committee of the Whole of bills and other matters. Tabled Document 93-20(1), Tabled Document 111-20(1), with the Member from Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh in the chair.

I now call Committee of the Whole to order. What is the wish of committee? I'll go to the Member from Inuvik Boot Lake.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, the committee wishes to consider Tabled Document 93-20(1), 2024-2025 Main Estimates, and Tabled Document 111-20(1), Supplementary Estimates (Infrastructure Expenditures), No. 1, 2024-2025. Thank you, Mr. Chair. All departments, if I need to say that.

Thank you. Does the committee agree?

Okay, thank you. We'll take a short recess.

---SHORT RECESS

We'll continue on in Committee of the Whole of bills and other matters. Tabled document 111-20(1), Supplementary Estimates (Infrastructure Expenditures), No. 1, 2024-2025.

Committee, we have agreed to consider Tabled Document 111-20(1), Supplementary Estimates (Infrastructure Expenditures), No. 1, 2024-2025. The committee has previously considered all lines, items, and had deferred final consideration of tabled documents. Committee, do you agree that you have concluded consideration of Tabled Document 111-20(1) Supplementary Estimates (Infrastructure Expenditures), No. 1, 2024-2025; does committee agree?

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, I move that consideration of Tabled Document 111-20(1), Supplementary Estimates (Infrastructure Expenditures), No. 1, 2024-2025, be now concluded and that the Tabled Document 111-20(1) be reported and recommended as ready for further consideration in formal session through the form of an appropriation bill. Thank you.

Thank you. To the motion.

Question has been called. All those in favour? All those opposed? Thank you. The motion is carried. Tabled Document 111-20(1) will be reported as ready for consideration in formal session through the form of an appropriation bill.

---Carried

Thank you, Minister, and thank you to the witnesses for appearing before us. Thank you. It's been a long day already.

Committee, we have agreed to consider Tabled Document 93-20(1), 2024-2025 Main Estimates. Minister of Finance, please proceed with our opening remarks.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, Consensus government is fundamentally different than a partisan system where political parties develop party platforms to deliver after an election. Having fewer Cabinet Ministers than Regular Members, who form standing committees, may be similar to a minority government situation when it comes time to determine whether or how Cabinet can seek to pass a budget or a law because there must be discussions to ensure a necessary number of votes. However, the nature and content of our discussions within a consensus system is different. The work we do in a consensus system comes back to us being here as representatives for our communities and our regions. There is give and take in these discussions, and ultimately a balance is sought that reflects the priorities that we all set together as we address the needs that we see across the Northwest Territories.

Before I continue, Mr. Chair, I'd like to extend a sincere thank you for the work done by Standing Committee for Accountability and Oversight to review the main estimates and business plans and a thank you to the chairperson and deputy chairperson of the committee for their leadership and effort in carrying out our discussions.

The fiscal sustainability strategy that is guiding how the GNWT manages the public dollars available to deliver all of the programs and services across our 33 communities is just that: It's the government's fiscal strategy. It is not a priority of the Legislative Assembly. However, it is the means by which, we, the government can give assurance that there will be funds available to achieve all of our shared goals.

I am remarking on this because I want to acknowledge that standing committee does not have to align itself with that fiscal strategy. Having said that, I am grateful that standing committee has been mindful of the challenging economic and fiscal circumstances that we find ourselves in when engaging in discussions around where and how as a government we should be expending public dollars over the next fiscal year. I am committing to some budgetary changes that will increase overall operational spending. However, those changes are modest and reflect the Assembly's priorities. Importantly, rather than focusing solely on huge financial swings, we were able to engage in significant discussion towards various policy changes or commitments that are being funded from within the financial parameters proposed in Budget 2024-2025.

We have agreed to add $13.349 million to the budget to support several priorities, with $6.571 million of that being ongoing. I commit to bringing these financial changes forward as supplemental estimates in the October 2024 Session. I will describe each of these financial changes as well as discuss several key policy commitments, and I will also table in the House tomorrow a detailed list of all of the changes that we have agreed to.

First, under the suitability, accessibility and affordability of housing.

This, Mr. Chair, was the subject of considerable discussion in this House. In committee's tabled report on the budget, there was a significant ask for $200 million over four years. The need for more housing units across the spectrum of housing need, from transitional housing to market units, is beyond the capacity of the GNWT alone to afford or deliver. We must continue to take opportunities when they are available to maximize availability and affordability in this sector.

The 2024-2025 Budget will see an increase of $3 million this year to assist with Housing NWT's maintenance and repair work in the communities that need it most. This funding will help bridge the funding gap in maintenance while Housing NWT assesses their core housing needs to address the ongoing issue forward.

We also commit to working to improve access to housing without spending more. We will intend to align housing supports to the Education, Culture and Employment income assistance changes so that public housing benefits for seniors and people with disabilities can be provided without monthly reporting.

The Lutsel K'e Dene First Nation is collaborating currently with the Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation and the mineral resource sector to help build 10 units in Lutselk'e, and we commit to help make this project a success by adding $580,000 in the budget for the Lutsel K'e Dene First Nation to be able to get the supplies for this housing project on the August 2024 barge.

A strong economic foundation.

Several of the additional funding commitments help build a strong economic foundation from which residents can better participate in the labour market, support communities to build local infrastructure, support local employment, and also set the stage for opportunities that can bring or foster future economic growth.

We commit an additional $3.5 million in ongoing funding to increase the amount that early learning and child care providers are being paid. We will continue to engage with the federal government to try to leverage additional federal funds under the early learning and child care agreements to enhance early learning and child care provider compensation.

The last two commitments under this heading also support having safe communities.

The GNWT will add $1 million to the Small Community Employment Program to ensure a continued focus on promoting employment in communities that need it most. This funding is committed on an ongoing basis and is an important part in ensuring stability and promoting employment in our small, local economies.

The Community Access Program provides financial contributions and technical assistance to community governments and Indigenous government organizations for projects to improve community access roads and marine facilities. We know that insufficient funding for infrastructure simply increases future costs, and this is why we are reinstating $1.5 million in funding for the Community Access Program under this budget.

Mr. Chair, there is strong support for Aurora College to transition into a polytechnic facility. That is why we are agreeing to provide a further $500,000 in 2024-2025 to Aurora College to support the activities needed to become a polytechnic facility.

Access to health care and addressing the effects of trauma.

Mr. Chair, midwives provide a valuable service to support health care in a culturally sensitive and trauma-informed way. The GNWT supports midwifery and continues to support the expansion of midwifery to communities where women otherwise do not have access to birthing services. To help achieve that goal, we will reinstate the manager and senior consultant midwifery positions for a total of $331,000 ongoing. Health and social services also commits, within the life of this government, to expand midwifery services to cover two more communities that do not have birthing services, including Behchoko and a yet-to-be-determined second community.

Mr. Chair, we all know that caregivers need more supports and commit further to add $240,000 ongoing to the budget for respite services for families in the Northwest Territories.

Also, in addition to the two Transitional Housing for Addiction Recovery Program locations already underway as part of Budget 2024, the GNWT commits to continue the expansion of this program to other communities in the NWT within the life of this government, and we will be conducting the necessary engagement with local community governments and organizations towards this goal.

The Department of Health and Social Services will also be phasing the roll out of the extended health benefits program. For the first year of the program, applicants who fall below band 10 of the income thresholds will see their contributions held at zero while the department gathers data on who is accessing this program and for what services.

Health and Social Services will also continue to work towards a system human resources plan that integrates several of the suggestions to prioritize the recruitment and retention of health professional staff and includes targets for training and hiring Indigenous staff established in its departmental Indigenous employment plan.

Mr. Chair, funding to maintain the Fort Smith Correctional Centre will be reinstated for Budget 2024-2025. I have spoken more than once about the important role that employee feedback played in the fiscal sustainability work that is underway across the GNWT. Since the release of the 2024-2025 Budget, we have continued to receive further feedback to support cost savings within corrections and its underutilized facilities.

In addition, we all know the need for community wellness, aftercare supports, transitional housing, and much more in the space of addressing the effects of trauma is significant. However, we do not want to put a deadline on doing the hard work of developing a plan to support those objectives when those objectives and pathways to healing must be determined by communities and regional Indigenous governments. The GNWT will continue to update this Assembly and the public on progress in this space.

Mr. Chair, I would venture to say that most everyone in this room has at one stage of their political career or another spoke about the need for change to improve the lives of Northerners in a real and meaningful way. The North is not short on opportunities or ideas and the work to present this Budget for 2024-2025, with all of the associated commitments that it will fund, is a testament to those ideas and opportunities. The hard work of maintaining our fiscal ability to deliver will be ongoing but by working together we can be creative, compassionate, and patient as we all work for the residents of the Northwest Territories. This concludes my opening remarks. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you. Does the Minister of Finance wish to bring witnesses into the House?

No, thank you.

Thank you. Does the committee agree to proceed to the detail contained in the tabled documents?

Agreed? Thank you. Committee, we have deferred key activities and departmental summaries of multiple departments. The committee has agreed to review all deferred items within the main estimates today. We will resume review of the main estimates from beginning with the Legislative Assembly on page 5.

Legislative Assembly, total department, operations expenditure summary, 2024-2025 Main Estimates, $26,275,000. Does the committee agree?