Kevin O'Reilly

Thanks, Mr. Chair. So on 234, there's Minerals and Petroleum Resources Act implementation. In 20212022, the actuals, it was almost $200,000 overspent. But how much total have we actually spent on the Mineral Resources Act implementation as a government to date? Maybe to the end of the fiscal year. Thanks, Mr. Chair.

Thanks, Mr. Chair. So is there any money earmarked in this budget for further work on our remediation economy? And I guess I'm not talking about the $20 million contract that went to a southern firm to do remediation at Cameron Hills where nobody's getting any jobs out of it from the Northwest Territories, but is there any actual dollars in here for further work on remediation economy? Thanks, Mr. Chair.

Merci, Madame la Presidente. I've had two pages in the House this week from Frame Lake, Aiden Tate and David Munford, and I would like to thank them for their service. Mahsi, Madam Speaker.

Thanks, Mr. Chair. So let's talk about the knowledge economy piece. I think somehow the name's been morphed into something called the innovation action plan, which I really don't understand what it means. But I think it gives the connotation that somehow something has to be new and swanky before it's going to get funded. It's really looks like it's really aimed at the commercialization of knowledge. I think there's a number of other aspects here, like, you know, intellectual property rights when it comes to traditional knowledge that needs to be looked at. But in any event, I disagree with...

Yeah, thanks, Mr. Chair. So earlier I'd asked about whether there were any organizations that did not receive the 2.2 percent increase, and on page 230, it's pretty clear that a number of organizations did not receive the increase, or at least areas advance the knowledge economy, Business Development Investment Corporation, commercial fisheries, Great Northern Arts Festival, SEED. You know, I recognize that some of these are, you know, programs rather than individual NGOs but can the Minister you know, some of the other ones did, like community futures, community transfer initiatives. Could...

Thanks, Mr. Chair. So I'm going to ask a question here about contributions to NGOs and partly because finance and administration is found in this particular activity. So I know that the Minister, wearing a different hat, talked in the budget address about increasing NGO contributions by 2.2 percent I think across the board. Are there any NGOs that ITI funds that did not receive this 2.2 percent increase? Thanks, Mr. Chair.

Thanks, Mr. Chair. Yeah, so I guess in the last fiscal year there was a review done for OROGO in terms of looking at their needs and so on given that oil and gas activities are way way down. In fact, I don't think there's anything happening other than some oil abandonments, maybe M18 perhaps if it ever gets going. But has ITI actually ever done kind of a needs assessment, a review of its oil and gas resourcing, and, you know, the staff levels and so on in that part of its department you know, activities, to look at whether there might be some efficiencies there? Thanks, Mr. Chair.

Merci, Madame la Presidente. I wish to table the following document: It's a letter dated January 13th, 2023 from the Minister of Lands; the Minister of Environment and Natural Resources; the Minister of Industry, Tourism and Investment, to myself dated February 16th, 2023. Mahsi, Madam Speaker.

Thanks, Mr. Chair. Well, we've had this debate many times if it looks like a duck, walks like a duck, squawks like a duck, it probably is a duck, so.

I'd like to move on to so there's this thing called Indigenous mineral development support program. And I note that the territorial agrifood association put on a recent or I guess it's still coming up. February 20232024, Grow NWT; it's a conference on agriculture. Where would Indigenous governments or, you know, NGOs in general, go to ITI to get money to attend a conference like that? Could they apply to this, you know, Indigenous mineral...

Merci, Madame la Presidente. I want to thank the Minister for that. I'd be interested in seeing the project charter at some point, but. And the Minister spoke of the difficulty in staffing these positions. So can the Minister tell us whether there's a recruitment and retention strategy for the territorial midwifery program or what special considerations are required as part of an overall health worker strategy to maintain midwifery? Mahsi, Madam Speaker.