Kevin O'Reilly

Thanks, Mr. Chair. Okay, so we are going to have a recalculated figure. That figure, can someone tell me how it is actually calculated? I know there is some sort of an inventory that the department has prepared, a condition of buildings and infrastructure changes over time. Presumably, somebody's going to have to go out and look at some of that stuff again. Can I get just a bit of a general explanation of how that figure is arrived at? Thanks, Mr. Chair.

Thanks, Mr. Chair. I appreciate that. I look forward to getting the document in February. Can the Minister tell us whether the gap itself has been recalculated? Obviously, as we move forward in time, infrastructure changes, cost of living increases and so on. Does the department actually recalculate this on a regular basis? Thanks, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Now that the clock has almost run out, I do have some bigger-picture concerns with the capital budget that I think have been articulated by some of my colleagues, as well. There's an overwhelming focus on roads again, and I understand that some of this is related to federal funding, but I notice, and I've said in the House, that our sister territory Nunavut has found ways to support public housing to a greater extent than we have through federal infrastructure funding. I'm concerned about the local government funding gap, the municipal funding gap, that we had identified...

Thanks, Mr. Chair. Yes, I look forward to the Minister then finding a way to make that information public, whether he tables it in the House or posts it on the Department of Finance website. Those are my two suggestions.

I've heard some concerns from Regular MLAs, and I too have concerns about the amount of carry-overs. Can the Minister tell us: is there a percentage of the capital budget that really represents carry-overs or a dollar amount that would allow us to understand what the carry-overs are from previous years? Can the Minister provide that information? Thanks, Mr. Chair.

Thanks, Mr. Chair. I do have some general questions for the Minister, so I would like to start with whether there have been any calculations done to ensure that the capital budget fully complies with the fiscal responsibility policy. Thanks, Mr. Chair.

Merci, Monsieur le President. Thanks to the Minister. I look forward to seeing this draft action plan.

The carbon tax plan released by the Minister in July does not contain any information or analysis of other scenarios or approaches, including the federal backstop. The federal government just announced how funds will be redistributed in jurisdictions that do not have a federally approved scheme. It is not clear to me whether our government has actually done any analysis on the federal backstop.

Can the Minister explain whether the work on an NWT carbon tax considered other scenarios, including...

Thanks to the Minister for that. I would be interested in seeing the written confirmation about how the feds have agreed to our approach.

The Minister released a plan for carbon tax in July. That approach would see large emitters getting all of the taxes back. It may involve some spending on greenhouse gas reduction measures, but while individuals, families, and small businesses will get some of the carbon tax back, the remaining amount is what will be used to subsidize GNWT investments into the Energy Strategy, including Taltson Hydro Expansion.

Can the Minister explain why large industrial...

A real carbon pricing system for the NWT can help us in fighting the climate change emergency that faces us.

We must pursue legislative and policy changes to ensure climate change leadership and an energy strategy built on renewables that doesn't masquerade as an infrastructure funding demand. As other regular Members have indicated, I cannot support Cabinet's Carbon Tax and Climate Change Plan. The federal government's back-stop approach on carbon pricing is starting to look a lot better. Masi, Mr. Speaker.

Thanks, Mr. Chair. Maybe I'm mistaken here, but I understood that the funding review was done, when it was done, part of it was an O and M issue or problem, part of it was also a capital deficit. Am I hearing, then, that the Minister says that the document we are going to get in February is really only going to deal with the O and M side; it's not going to deal with the capital, the infrastructure deficit? Thanks, Mr. Chair. For our local governments. Thanks, Mr. Chair.

Thanks, Mr. Chair. That's interesting. Is the gap, the funding gap, actually recalculated on an annual basis? Has it ever been recalculated? Is there a cycle for that? Can someone tell me whether it's actually recalculated? Thanks, Mr. Chair.