Question has been called. All those in favour? Opposed? Abstentions? Motion passed.

---Carried

Second reading of bills. Consideration in Committee of the Whole of bills and other matters, Tabled Document 275-20(1), with the Member from traditional use Nedhe-Wiilideh in the chair.

Thank you. I will now call the Committee of the Whole to order. What is the wish of the committee? I am going to go to the Member from Inuvik Boot Lake.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, the committee wishes to consider Tabled Document 275-20(1), 2025-2026 Main Estimates, Departments of Education, Culture and Employment and Department of Finance. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you. Does the committee agree?

Okay, thank you. We'll take a ten-minute break.

---SHORT RECESS

Consideration in Committee of the Whole of bills and other matters, 2025-2026 Main Estimates, conclusion of Department of Education, Culture and Employment and Department of Finance, form and concurrence -- concurrence.

Committee, we have agreed to consider Tabled Document 275-20(1), 2025-2026 Main Estimates. We will consider the departmental totals for the Department of Education, Culture and Employment and finance which we previously deferred. We will then consider the borrowing plan for the government reporting entity and established borrowing limits for the Government of the Northwest Territories.

Does the Minister of Finance have any opening remarks?

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Yes, Mr. Chair, as we conclude deliberations on the 2025-2026 Main Estimates, I want to recognize the work of Members in shaping this budget. And through collaboration, note that we are making additional strategic investments that reflect the priority of this Assembly and the needs of Northerners.

One of the most significant outcomes of our discussions, Mr. Chair, is that there is a commitment here being made to support housing. We will be introducing a $41.6 million supplementary appropriation for Housing Northwest Territories in 2025-2026 to make critical investments in public housing. This funding responds directly to the priorities set by the 20th Legislative Assembly to improve suitability, accessibility, and affordability of housing across the Northwest Territories.

In addition, we are committing a total of $50 million per year for the next two years, ensuring a long-term and sustainable plan to help modernize and replace aging public housing. In making this commitment, we are cognizant that we are living in a time where businesses are worried in a climate of tariffs, tariff threats, and financial uncertainty. Housing Northwest Territories already has innovative partnerships with Northwest Territories Indigenous governments and businesses and this commitment can help deepen and build upon them. This three-year commitment supports a plan that we believe can be delivered for Northerners by Northerners.

We are also addressing concerns about elders in public housing. Housing Northwest Territories will develop a strategy and a policy to forgive arrears and stop garnishment of elders, ensuring that this is in place before the 2025-2026 debt forgiveness period.

Additionally, we will be restoring $100,000 in funding for the 2025-2026 for the Family Violence Shelter Network and would note that in accordance with its new role as the GNWT lead for non­government support, this funding will move to the Department of Executive and Indigenous Affairs. Over 2025-2026, EIA will be engaging other non­government organizations and Indigenous organizations in order to explore how to best align available funding to address the needs of vulnerable populations, including those experiencing intimate personal violence -- intimate partner violence.

On the issue of community learning centres, Mr. Chair, we all acknowledge that CLC facilities have been important hubs for education, for training, and for community-based programs, and the Minister of ECE has committed to working with Indigenous governments and community organizations to ensure that residents will continue to have access to quality adult education and employment programs building off the successes of individual communities that individual communities may have seen within the existing CLC programs. A timeline for this work will be provided before the end of the May sitting.

I will speak further and further opportunity upon the location of an appropriation bill being introduced about the process of concluding this budget and on the broader direction that we are taking with these changes. But for now, Mr. Chair, I do want to thank Members for their contributions. This budget is, again, a product of the consensus process and together we are advancing these meaningful investments for the Northwest Territories. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you. I'm going to go to the Member from Inuvik Boot Lake.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Thank you to the Minister for her comments. Mr. Chair, at this time I'd like to move that consideration of Tabled Document 275 -- sorry?

Okay, thank you. I'll go back to the Member from Inuvik Boot Lake.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I apologize; I was getting ahead of myself as we often do.

Mr. Chair, I'd like to again thank the -- certainly thank the Members of AOC. I mean, it's been an interesting couple of weeks for sure as we've deliberated on this budget and negotiated on this budget and, as the Minister said, I'll certainly speak more to it once we have the main estimates in front of committee tomorrow.

I would like, again, to thank Members of AOC for their direction, for certainly working collaboratively to work towards our common goal and thank Cabinet for their support as well. The housing funding that the Minister spoke of certainly is no small ask, and I think we all recognize in this House the importance of that priority to this government. We've -- you know, we've been saying it for the past year, you know, housing is likely our number one priority and to see this kind of a commitment going forward in this year's budget, coming back on the supplemental appropriation of $41 million to add to the additional funding that housing has already budgeted, I think will put us, Mr. Chair, up to, you know, upwards of $50 million this year alone with anticipating more funding coming in the next two years as we'll go through the budget -- through our capital budgeting process for even more housing and certainly addressing that important need.

So for now, Mr. Speaker, again -- Mr. Chair, I'd like to, again, thank my colleagues, thank the Minister of Finance for her time, and we'll leave it at that until tomorrow. Thank you.

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

Thank you. Committee, we will start with the Department of Education, Culture and Employment. Please turn to the department summary found on page 29, revenue summary information items on page 30 and 31. Are there any questions? Seeing no further questions, committee, I will now call the department summary.

Education, Culture and Employment, operations expenditure, total department, 2025-2026 Main Estimates, $403,245,000. Does committee agree?

Thank you. Committee, we will now move to the Department of Finance. Please turn to the departmental summary found on page 159 with information items on page 160 to 161. Are there any questions? Seeing no further questions, committee, I will now call the department summary.

Finance, operations expenditure, total department, 2025-2026 Main Estimates, $407,895,000. Does committee agree?

Thank you, committee. The borrowing plan is separate from the estimates but required by the Financial Administration Act to be presented with the estimates. Further, the borrowing outlined in the plan will be included in the subsequent Appropriation Act that is presented to the Assembly. Please turn to page 17 to find the borrowing plan from the government reporting entity established borrowing limits for the Government of the Northwest Territories. Are there any questions? Seeing no further questions, I will now call this page.

The borrowing plan for the government reporting entity and established borrowing limits for the Government of the Northwest Territories, the total considered borrowing limit is $1,722,122,000. Does the committee agree?

Thank you, committee. Does the committee agree that it has concluded the consideration of Tabled Document 275-20(1), 2025-2026 Main Estimates? Does the committee agree?

Thank you. Members, I'm going to go to the Member from Inuvik Boot Lake.