Caroline Wawzonek

Mr. Speaker, later today I will be tabling the 20232024 Capital Estimates, which uses a revised approach in budgeting that better aligns the GNWT’s planned spending with actual project delivery. Overall, the proposed capital estimates include $328 million in total spending, comprised of $292.5 million in departmentally managed capital, and $35.5 million for Housing NWT.

Over the last nine years, the GNWT has proposed capital plans averaging $405 million per year but the actual average spend was only $226 million per year. Put simply, the GNWT does not have the capacity to develop all of the...

Thank you, Madam Chair. I am in favour of the amendment. I was not in favour of an automatic or a presumed automatic incurring significant cost. It's not thus far been my experience that generally residents of Yellowknife South are struggling to find myself or my constituency assistant by virtue of having our office here or through all other manner of opportunity. But nonetheless, that just may be tradition and it not necessarily a reality. So certainly we'll take that back.

But I will just say, Madam Chair, in reviewing this proposed motion, both originally and the now amended one, I would...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I wish to table the following document: The 20232024 Capital Estimates. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Again, Mr. Speaker, the ideal here is to not wind up piecemealing the act or the regulations any further than what they have been already historically. And so the intention was to take all of the recommendations as a cohesive unit, put them together, and to develop a new piece of legislation and regulations that would support it. So now that said, there's really only the one brewery that I'm aware of and so perhaps they should be, you know, looking to work with the current licensing board if there are existing pathways by which they could achieve their goals now while...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the process of getting a significant piece of legislation like this together requires, firstly, that there be a legislative proposal. I can certainly commit that that is going to happen in the life of this Assembly. It then does go over to committee and then would back and then go out for drafting. So it's a more complex and lengthy process than what perhaps a lot of folks realize. I would say, though, some good news, Mr. Speaker, out of the four items that are listed as four recommendations, the first of the four, to streamline processes, streamlining a...

Thank you, Madam Chair. Madam Chair, I agree with a lot of what the Member for Yellowknife North has had to say. I am looking now also at the results of the proposed changes to the ridings and the results that that leads to which, as noted already, does not resolve the chronic and historic underrepresentation of Yellowknife residents. I understand that there's a number of factors, everything ranging from geography to language to historical connection and that, you know, the right to being represented doesn't mean, you know, that it's a perfect number that you draw down and that everyone has...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would also like to recognize Melody and Bob McLeod. They continue to be residents of Yellowknife South. I didn't have the honour or the pleasure of working in this House at the same time as Bob McLeod, but I can say that the very first time I ever walked down the executive hallway was with the gracious welcome of the then Premier to welcome me into his office and give me a few words of wisdom for which I was always very grateful. So welcome back.

Mr. Speaker, I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Inuvik Boot Lake, that Bill 55, Supplementary Appropriation Act (Infrastructure Expenditures), No. 1, 20222023, be read for the third time. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the Department of Finance and Municipal and Community Affairs are working together along with other impacted departments to look at the numbers, to have numbers tabulated. Registrations are still coming in, and the impacts of each of those registrations are still coming in. Not everyone is seeking the maximum. There's still parties who are inquiring as to their insurance circumstances. The pathfinders are in the communities working through those questions.

So, you know, I don't want to say that we don't have preliminary numbers because we do have certainly...

Mr. Speaker, I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Nahendeh, that Bill 54, Supplementary Appropriations Act (Operations Expenditures), No. 1, 20222023 be read for the third time. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.