Robert C. McLeod

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and thank you, colleagues. Mr. Speaker, I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Hay River South, that Bill 51, Supplementary Appropriation Act (Operations Expenditures), No. 4, 2018-2019, be read for the second time.

Mr. Speaker, this bill makes supplementary appropriations for operations expenditures for the Government of the Northwest Territories for the 2018-2019 fiscal year. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Range Lake, that Bill 53, Supplementary Appropriation Act (Operations Expenditures), No. 1, 2019-2020, be read for the first time. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Great Slave, that Bill 51, Supplementary Appropriation Act (Operations Expenditures), No. 4, 2018-2019, be read for the first time. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. WHEREAS Section 4(1) of the Ombud Act provides that the Commissioner on recommendation of the Legislative Assembly shall appoint an ombud as an officer of the Legislative Assembly who is responsible for exercising the powers and performing the duties set out in this act;

AND WHEREAS Section 114 of the Ombud Act will come into force on April 1, 2019;

AND WHEREAS the Board of Management was tasked with recruiting the ombud and has recommended an individual to the Legislative Assembly and the Legislative Assembly is prepared to make a recommendation.

NOW THEREFORE I MOVE...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. The plan is, because of the delay, it will be scheduled for the summer of 2019, which is beyond April 1st. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As we come to the end of the 18th Legislative Assembly, there is a lot of talk going on about the future, what your decisions are going to be. I have been asked by a number of people what I plan on doing going forward. It is a decision that I take very seriously. I have come back and told them that I am going to give it some thought and I will let them know six months prior to the election. That has led me to a decision that I made just recently, that I will not let my name stand for re-election on October 1st.

I have come to realize I have more years behind me than...

Thank you. I agree with the Member that this is work that needs to be done. We are trying to get the appropriation to do that work. As far as his question on the original roof, we don't have that detail. We would have to commit to get that detail and provide it to the Member. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Through you, Mr. Chair, I would like to go to Minister Cochrane.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Conservation of wildlife in the Northwest Territories is a responsibility shared by governments, boards, and individuals through our co-management system. This Legislative Assembly has made a mandate commitment to develop range plans for boreal caribou in the NWT. Today I would like to share some significant news about those plans and our made-in-the-North approach to protecting boreal caribou in the Northwest Territories.

Mr. Speaker, boreal woodland caribou are listed as a threatened species under both federal and territorial legislation. These caribou are distinct...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I am here to present Supplementary Estimates (Infrastructure Expenditures) No. 1, 2019-2020. This document provides for an increase of $4.1 million in the infrastructure budget.

The two items included in these supplementary estimates are:

$2.1 million for the Slave Geological Province Corridor project. These expenditures are fully offset by revenues from the Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency; and

$2 million for the replacement of the roof at William McDonald School in Yellowknife.

That concludes my opening remarks. Mr. Chair, I would be happy to answer any...