Marci cho, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, committee wishes to consider Tabled Document 41618(2), Capital Estimates, 20182019 with general comments, the Legislative Assembly, the Departments of Municipal and Community Affairs, Lands, Environment and Natural Resources, and Finance. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

I am familiar with the staff retention policy. In fact, I mentioned one of the retention policies in my Member's statement; giving somebody 80 per cent of their salary for one year to go to school. My question is more: would the Affirmative Action Policy apply the same way when we hire individuals? We use a priority; priority one, priority two, and people who do not have a priority. I am wondering if that policy would apply when you are contemplating layoffs.

Marci cho, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, in my Member's statement today I talked about the layoff of GNWT staff. I would like to ask the Minister of Finance a couple of questions. In this current year of 2017-2018, have the departments of the GNWT been directed to lay off staff for reduction purposes? Thank you.

Marci cho, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, [translation not provided].

Mr. Speaker due to reductions, the layoff of staff has created real issues for people of the NWT. Several people working for the GNWT were told the GNWT no longer needs their service. Meanwhile, the GNWT continues to fill jobs. Mr. Speaker, as a hypothetical example, the GNWT places more value on hiring a young engineer from Toronto than keeping a young mother from the North in their job. This young mother serves as a key to the entire extended family. She uses her income to help her extended family. Mr. Speaker, the layoff of...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, is that applicable to Aboriginal community governments as well? I recognize that this would be standard for the hamlets and others elected among the entire population, like the town councils and so on. Would that also be applicable, when you have Aboriginal governments that have an agreement with the department to have this money, for spending this money? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chairman, I think during this review I need to touch on a few of the projects. I think they are in the books. I think they are moving forward, and I think we have some of them on record. My objective, I think, is to give comfort to individuals in the communities that have been asking for the various items that do not appear in this year's capital plan, but there is some planning going on that advance some of these projects.

I am looking, for sure, for one of the big items that is not in the capital plan except possibly a study which does not really secure the capital...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, that is something that does not make me happy, but it is what it is, and I will move on to my next question. I would like to ask the Minister if the Minister can commit to doing a socioeconomic analysis of staff members when they are laid off. In my Member's statement, I talked about the loss of actual people to the Northwest Territories. If we lay someone off and they take their family and four of them go down south, we lose transfer payments, which could be potentially higher than the salary that we are saving by reducing that position. Again, my question...

Marci cho, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, I move that we rise and report progress. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

I wanted to ask if the federal government did consult with ENR on species at risk, but I guess my question would now be: does the GNWT or ENR have equal say in whether or not they are going to place a species-at-risk designation on the various species in the NWT, specifically caribou in this case?

Marci cho, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would like to ask the Minister of Environment and Natural Resources questions about species at risk, the caribou. My first question is: what actions will be taken for the species at risk, and will those actions impact Indigenous hunters? Thank you.