Kevin O'Reilly

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...

Thanks, Mr. Chair. Yes, this is a comment more than anything else. Look, I support this work. I want it done, and I want it done quickly. We want to avoid at all costs what happened to the National Museum in Brazil, and I'm not saying we are going there, but there's a lot of heritage value and culture tied up in the facility here, in Yellowknife. It does support regional facilities, as well. We want to make sure that our museum is up to code and fully protected and provides the kinds of services and programs that our citizens deserve. I support this, and I urge the Minister, along with his...

Thanks, Mr. Chair. I appreciate that from the Minister. Do we know when the study is going to be finished, and is it something that can be shared with Regular MLAs? Thanks, Mr. Chair.

Thanks, Mr. Chair. This is with regard to a planning study for the mid-life upgrade and retrofit to the Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre, the museum that is here, in Yellowknife. Can the Minister or his staff explain whether any of this has to do with fire code or building code work that might be required at the museum? Thanks, Mr. Chair.

Merci, Monsieur le President. I would like to thank the Minister for that. I was hoping to hear, though, about whether there is professional counselling available for the coordinators.

The community-based approach to victim services makes a lot of sense, and it has been in place, as the Minister said, since 1996, but clearly, the network of supports and coordinators has never been completed. It is unclear how often reviews have been conducted on victim services. The Minister mentioned a 2014 report. Perhaps he could table that in the House.

Could the Minister tell us, though, is he prepared to...

Okay. I'm just trying to figure out how all of this is supposed to work and whether the revenues that are generated from the sales are actually going to cover all of our costs or not. Does the department have any kind of sense of that? Thank you, Mr. Chair.