Thank you, Mr. Chair. So the process of the Public Lands Act, now that we're on that subject, that is going through currently at the IGC table, I think one of the difficulties that constituents of mine had -- have and, you know, something that I've been starting to talk to the Minister more about is just when things go into the IGCS, they kind of disappear for a while and sometimes a very long while, and it's difficult for the public to keep track of what's happening with legislation. And, certainly, I am not going to have time to unpack all of this today but, you know, the fact that the Public Lands Act was passed in the 18th Assembly, I mean, that's two assemblies back. So by the time we get the regs in place, the legislation could be said to be potentially out of date. And that was the same problem that we were having with the Mineral Resources Act. And so there seems to be a real disconnect between the ability to move legislation through that process and the need for some kind of reasonable timeliness. So I am wondering if the Minister can speak to how he's been starting to address that issue, either as our government House leader or as the Minister for ECC, considering that most of ECC's legislation is going to end up in the IGCS probably more than most other departments.

Okay, thank you. I will go to the Minister.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, I think one of the areas here certainly -- and I wouldn't say this as an excuse, but capacity across all of our partners, as well as the GNWT, tends to make the IGC legislative development protocol maybe move not as quickly as we would like it but certainly from the perspective of the department, we are -- you know, we can do a little bit more of a proactive approach to consider getting this to move a little quicker with all of our partners. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you. I will go to the Member from Frame Lake.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. And I think there just isn't enough time during Committee of the Whole to get into it, but it is an issue that I want to continue raising, and I've got our research staff working on getting me ready for some questions in the House. Let me just look at my questions here.

Oh yeah, this was one I wanted to ask about, business plans.

So there seems to be, I note, a bit of a disconnect between what's in the business plan and some of the initiatives that the department is engaging in to improve and streamline regulatory. I just note that, you know, the deputy minister just listed off changing -- making targeted changes to the waters Act -- or sorry, to the waters regs, which we've talked about on the floor of the House a fair bit, and a number of other activities that they communicated, either through response to the environmental audit or response to the Standing Committee on Acc Dev and Environment report on the regulatory framework. So it all encompasses a fair amount of work, but I note that that doesn't make it -- its way into the business plan. So I was just curious if that's just an oversight. Is there a reason why those things aren't included in the business plan? Because I just note that some of those initiatives are included in ITI's business plan, yet it's one of ECC's initiatives. So I know ITI is the industry department and they're kind of focusing on, you know, promoting industry, but it is ultimately the work of ECC that is responsible for all these regulatory initiatives. So I am just curious why they're not detailed in the business plan. Thank you.

Thank you. I will go to the Minister.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, there is a spot in the business plan that does speak to some of the legislative initiatives, but one of the challenging things here is there are many, if you say, moving parts, I guess if you will, Mr. Chair, and a lot of partners involved in this work. And, certainly from the perspective of the department, we're trying to engage with those partners on the land and water boards, our Indigenous governments and organizations, to really try and focus. So perhaps if the Member had a specific example, we might be able to give a little bit more precise response. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you. I will go to the Member for Frame Lake.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I mean, I did give a number of examples in my preamble there. And so I am really only raising the issue because, you know, I've been told multiple times that the business plans are where we look to see, you know, what work is government doing on any given issue or what are -- you know, what are the general directions being given to the department as to what to prioritize. So when I don't see something in the business plans -- I will just put the targeted amendments to the water regs, for example. So we can just talk about that one. But there was a number of commitments that the department made in response to SCEDE's report. And the reason I am wondering is that I don't want initiatives like this to be something that's done off the side of people's desks or are kind of considered besides the work and would just note that in reading the business plan on regulatory streamlining where it says in the line item on the business plan, regulatory streamlining, the items that were communicated in the business plan were all generally status quo type stuff, like, you know, issuing water licenses, participating fully in proceedings. I mean, those are things that the department has to do. I mean, that's just basic work. And I can understand why they would put that in the business plan. But what I wasn't seeing in the business plan was what the department was doing to change things or to respond to the Assembly's priorities. And so it may be that I am misinterpreting what the business plan is for or putting too much weight on the business plan, but the reason it stood out to me is just that these are -- it's where I look to see what direction the department's being given in terms of implementing the Assembly's priorities. Thank you.

Okay. I am going to go to the Minister.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, I think on page 39 of the business plan, you know, it lays out our priority, if you will, for the Water Act regulation. And, you know, the three-phased approach that we've committed to when it comes to Water Act regulations, you know, the targeted amendments are the first phase of that. And we have certainly made significant progress in moving that forward and hope to have the final result here in the not-too-distant future. Understanding the Member's frustration with the speed at which these things move along, I think it's safe to say that, you know, we all would like to see things move a little bit quicker. You know, as we get to this point I think the work continues in our phrased approach as we look at the legislation going forward, the changes that are required, and how we're able to go back and, you know, ensure that this is the quickest, timely changes that we could make as opposed to opening up the legislation and having to start from scratch. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Okay, thank you. Are there any further questions? I will go to the Member from Yellowknife North.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. So, overall, since we're looking at corporate management overall, I wonder if the Minister can give any insights into whether the merger between lands and ENR several years ago actually resulted in any efficiencies in terms of reduction of positions overall between the two departments since the merger. I know it's been a number of years now. I don't know if the Minister has any data on that or could commit to get back to us with more information. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you. I will go to the Minister.

Yeah, thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, there were some reductions in positions. I will pass to the deputy minister for some detail. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Okay, thank you. I will go back to the Member from Yellowknife North.

Deputy minister, Mr. Chair.

Oh, I am sorry. Yeah, deputy minister.

Okay, thank you. I will go back to the Member from Yellowknife North.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I wonder if the Minister could commit to get back to me with some specific numbers in terms of overall positions that have been reduced in the creation of efficiency. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Okay, thank you. I will go to the Minister.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Yes, happy to provide that information to the Member. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Okay, thank you. I will go back to the Member from Yellowknife North.