Katrina Nokleby

Yes. Just one second, here. Thank you, Madam Chair. Under strategic infrastructure, over this last one, we have had an increase of $36,000, which was the collective agreement wage increases. In the past, we have seen a decrease of $134,000. That was $14,000 of incremental collective agreement wage increases, as well, there. Net of in 2019-2020, there was a one-time supplementary appropriation funding and transfers. Are you following? Okay. $148,000 of that funding was to provide support to the Slave Geological Province Corridor project, the design and planning. That was federal funding, so...

Thank you, Madam Chair. I would hope that everything in my department does is based on real numbers. I hope he doesn't mind, but I will let Dr. Dragon answer this one, too. Thank you.

Thank you, Madam Chair. There has been lots of back and forth. I'm going to guess though there has been some where, perhaps, they haven't had that follow up. Again, I don't have the metrics of how many have actually responded and came back, but I do understand from my department that there has been a lot of back and forth with our contractors. I know myself, personally, I've had a lot of contractors reaching out to me and had conversations with them, some from your region. I guess, again, I will just ask Dr. Dragon if he actually has any sort of numbers or data around the results.

Thank you, Madam Chair. As most people are aware, a government does multiple things at a time. Supporting and advocating for one project does not mean that we are not doing others. I would completely agree. COVID has highlighted the lack of infrastructure and the have and have-nots of our territory. I 100 percent agree with that. However, Internet is actually in the Department of Finance; it's not my department. However, I do continue to work with my colleague on that, because there is a bit of an overlap in that area.

I would argue back, for your comments regarding the project, I mean, we have...

Thank you, Madam Chair. That is my other department's hat. I will take that back.

Thank you, Madam Chair. Yes, it is. Thank you.

Yes, we have been. One of the things that Joe and his team have been doing is creating a matrix of all of our projects that we have and applying a sort of risk assessment, is the right word for it, a ranking system of a red, yellow, and green, and then there are columns as well that look at what are the potential delays, where are the pinch points, so, if this project doesn't go ahead by this point, it's now going to be delayed, so that they're aware of where all of those critical moments are for project life.

We have, like I said, a red, yellow, green tiered system. Obviously, green is on...

Thank you, Madam Chair. Well, I think, as we all sit here, the future is fairly uncertain. I don't have a time frame, and I won't profess to say something just to answer a question. In a new world when it comes to our funding formulas, we already have seen flexibility and changes within federal pots of funding that are already available. We are going to continue, all of us, to go to our FPTs and have these conversations with the federal government. I can't give you a time frame, but I'd be surprised if anyone can tell you what's going to be happening anywhere in the world in a year. Thank you...

Thank you, Madam Chair. It's funny because, as you say that to me, I have contractors in different areas of the territory that tell me, "Stop breaking down contracts. I don't want bid on just providing a loader." Again, a very complex situation, which I think we do have to look at as a case-by-case situation. I was joking with someone earlier that it would be easier if the all the contractors would just get together and come to me with all the portions of the project that they have agreed upon to work on, but that is not going to happen. I do recognize that that is a function of what my...

Thank you, Madam Chair. I will pass this one over to Dr. Dragon, as well. Thank you.