Kevin O'Reilly

Can I get some explanation here as to what this carry-over is all about? Thanks, Madam Chair.

Thanks, Madam Chair. I guess I just want to say that, on the meat inspection issue, I know that the Northern Farm Training Institute does raise animals. I was there this past weekend. They are interested in trying to market some of that meat. They've tried to do it in Yellowknife at the farmers' market here, but they weren't able to do that. I visited another operation, potential operation, by Mr. Russell Chase, who would like to breed rabbits and sell them, but can't do it right now. We have to fix this issue in terms of building food security here, so I support this. I did want to ask...

Thanks, Madam Chair. Yes. This environmental assessment has been going on since, I think, 2013. I've raised this with Members of this Cabinet before. You don't go for an environmental assessment until you actually have a proper project defined. Otherwise, you're wasting a lot of different people's times. If we haven't been back to the board since November of 2018, this amount is actually a carry-over, and we haven't communicated timelines to the review board but carrying money over. I'm not sure this is a great way to communicate and try to expedite getting some of the money out the door. I...

Thanks, Madam Chair. I've said this in a Member's statement and through questions on the floor: I hate to think that we're actually going to roll back people's wages at the end of this. This is just unconscionable, that we would actually do that, especially for low-income workers. I understand from previous responses from the Minister that there is a minimum wage review committee that has apparently been appointed and is going to report on this, but even if we find a way to increase the minimum wage, it's still probably not going to be anywhere close to a living wage. I think we need to move...

Thanks, Madam Chair. This page, there is an amount of over $10 million for Mackenzie Valley Highway environmental assessment. When I look at the review board public registry for the environmental assessment of the Mackenzie Valley Highway, the last document posted there is November 28, 2018. Can someone tell me what's happened for the last two years with this environmental assessment and why GNWT doesn't seem to be doing anything? Thanks, Madam Chair.

Thanks, Madam Chair. Yes. I think I got about three of the numbers down, so it would be great to get it in a table. Forgive me if this was said, but what are our projected costs? Well, we don't know when the pandemic is going to end, but has the department predicted any costs that might be associated into the future with self-isolation, supporting those individuals? Thanks, Madam Chair.

Thanks, Madam Chair. Well, that's great because it accords with the table I'm looking at. Can I get some sense of the trend of the carry-overs over time? Thanks, Madam Chair.

Okay, thanks for that explanation. Can I get a sense of how much of this supplementary appropriation is the result of carry-overs from the previous year? Thanks, Madam Chair.

Thanks, Madam Chair. The size of this supplementary estimate is a bit surprising. I think it is $166 million. We passed the capital budget in the previous Assembly, if I remember this correctly. I think it was in the neighbourhood of about $240 million. Can I just get an explanation as to whether this is the largest supplementary appropriation we have made and some explanation as to the size of this? Thanks, Madam Chair.

Sure. Thanks. I didn't anticipate getting into this level of detail in some of these things, as well. I take it, then, that the Minister is prepared to provide that information following this discussion. Thanks, Madam Chair.