Kevin O'Reilly

Thanks, Madam Chair. Without breaching confidentiality, I want to compliment the Minister and her staff for their improved tracking of the reason why money's not getting out the door. Unfortunately, I can't speak to it. I can't share it with the public. But I think it's improved, and that's a good thing. So I want to compliment them for doing that but I want to find a way to share that information publicly, because I want to give them more compliments but I can't.

So in any event, we're not doing a good job at reconciling the capital spending and how it figures into supplementary appropriations...

Yes, thanks, Madam Chair. And I might have blown the whistle on my colleague beside me in terms of the time but, yes, I want to pick up where he's left off.

You know, I find it really difficult that we're trying to do a reconciliation of 2021 capital budget publicly when we've got confidential information. That's what we're trying to do here. And it's not working very well.

So I think I heard somebody say that there's a free balance of about $222 million, if I got it right, or $200 million. Basically the money that wasn't spent on the capital budget from 2021, if I got it right.

So what...

Merci, Madame le President. Committee wishes to consider Tabled Document 65819(2), Tabled Document 65719(2), and Bill 40. Mahsi.

Merci, Monsieur le President. I want to thank the mover and the seconder of this motion for the work that they've put into it.

You know, Mr. Speaker, I've had the opportunity or privilege to visit many of the smaller communities here in the Northwest Territories in this job, previous jobs I've had. And, you know, I've spoken to many people about the pride that they have in owning their own homes. And people have seen that the HAP units that, you know, that are still they're in many of those communities. Unfortunately, we don't do that program anymore. I think it was a great program and...

Thanks, Madam Chair. I want to thank the committee and the Minister for the work on the bill. I was able to sit in on a lot of the committee proceedings and discussions, deliberations about this bill.

The one improvement that the Minister did not mention, that I think is worthy of highlighting here, is that the addition of section 24.1 which modifies the way in which the work on regulating the medical profession is going to change.

This new clause, which was proposed by the committee and accepted by the Minister, but it was proposed by the committee, requires that there be consultation with the...

Merci, Monsieur le President. I want to thank the Minister for that. But clearly our government should be in a position now to stand on its hind legs and actually say something about the importance of caribou, the importance of this region for our communities. But I guess we have to wait and be told this.

So I'm giving my feedback to the Minister now. It's become best practice with an environmental assessment to ensure that there's participant funding for Indigenous governments and the public and to provide for a level playing field during these kinds of things.

So can the Minister tell us what...

Yes, thanks, Madam Chair, and thanks to the Minister for that. I guess maybe I might suggest, then, that in the review of the Fiscal Responsibility Policy that this idea of a reserve on the infrastructure side is something that the department might look at. Yes, is that something that they could consider? Thanks, Madam Chair.

Merci, Monsieur le President. I want to thank the Minister for that. Of course, perfect is the enemy of good.

But, you know, I understand that the final decision, of course, is going to be made by a federal minister but clearly there's a lot at stake for us, and I know that the federal minister has consulted with our government. I just want to know what our government is saying back.

So can the Minister tell us whether GNWT intends to engage Indigenous governments, the public, and even Regular MLAs with regard to our position on this regional this proposed regional study. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Yes, thanks, Madam Chair. Yes, and I appreciate the position the Minister's in; this coming as a bit of a surprise. But I think we're trying to figure out to make this more transparent process for everybody.

So one of the issues that I've got with the capital planning, the way that it's been done is, you know, Members sit in the Chamber, they get the capital estimates, they vote on them, most Members vote in favour, even this lowly Member occasionally but not probably in this Assembly. But so Members vote in favour of projects in the capital estimates but then somehow during the course of the...

Merci, Monsieur le President. I want to thank the Minister for that. Lastly, I just wanted to follow up on how our territorial museum can better support important cultural practices like the lighting of an Inuit qulliq.

Can the Minister explain whether lighted qulliqs have been allowed in the museum before, what the current policy is, and the basis for that policy for practice. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.